ShadowBolt Adventure
by SkullReaper790
Summary: This is a story after the movie of Friendship Games, the Shadowbolt were they can have some crazy adventure. The home of the Shadowbolts Adventures and various other stories, mostly related to Equestria Girls. Sci-Twi and her other friends must face obstacles, in order to solve the problems they've have taken. will they succeed their adventure? #PleaseSupport #R&R #PleaseR&R
1. Music To Our Ears

**A/N: Hello, everyone, my name is SkullCrusher550. This is a story after the movie known as 'My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games', I hope you enjoy this kind of story.**

 **Shadowbolt Adventure: Chapter I: Music To Our Ears**

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

The pounding bass, the driving beat echoing from a pair of expensive headphones, was the entire world to Lemon Zest as she made her way down the sidewalk. Her legs twitched and tapped a bit harder on the cement than she intended to, but the sway of her arms back and forth, and the snapping of her fingers in time to the strong beat, was all her. She smoothly slid around some older folks standing beside the road, giving a quick heel spin around them before picking right back up where she left off.

Ahead of her she saw another figure approaching, with blue hair striped in different shades, and a pair of ruby red shades perched on her nose. Lemon Zest recognized her from her time at Canterlot High during the Friendship Games... Vinyl Scratch, she remembered. They were supposed to be mortal enemies, but something about the way her head was bobbing, and her arms flowed forward through the air gave her pause. The headphones latched onto her ears were practically vibrating with energy and, strangely, Vinyl's movements matched the beat of her song.

Lemon's eyes narrowed as she approached Vinyl Scratch, and both girls began to slow. Their eyes met, but their bodies didn't stop moving. Slowly they marched around each other, each step in time with the beat blaring from Lemon's headphones. They finished a full circuit around each other, then came to a stop, but their heads continued to bob in unison. Their standoff ended after several more beats when Vinyl's left heel began tapping on the cement.

Lemon watched her knee bend with the beat for a moment before, almost unconsciously, her own heel began to tap in rhythm. The bobbing of their heads grew more pronounced with every step, and soon they were bobbing and tapping together. The grin that spread across Vinyl's lips caught her by surprise, as did the sudden jerking of her hand forward to snap Lemon's hand away from her side, yanking her closer.

Lemon slipped around Vinyl's back with their hands clenched between them, spinning around behind her. An almost helpless grin lit up her own face as her foot came down in front of Vinyl, and they began to move their bodies in unison, marching down the sidewalk together. Lemon's hand pulled at Vinyl's, and they began tugging each other back and forth as they moved. With one swift tug Lemon brought Vinyl close to her side, dipping her just past the curb as they passed an elderly couple on the sidewalk, then tugging her back, bringing her close before spinning her to the inside of the sidewalk again.

Their hands unclasped and they broke into a more energetic jog, their feet pounding the cement still in time with the beating in their headphones as they wound their way through the city. Lemon Zest had no idea where they were going now, but she quickly found that she didn't really care. Her heart was racing, and she was in no hurry to get where she was going.

Vinyl Scratch jumped over one of the benches on the sidewalk surrounding the small community park in the center of the city, slapping her hands on her knees in the air and landing in a crouch on the grass behind it. Lemon Zest grinned and clapped her hands in a fast half-beat, to which Vinyl bowed. Lemon then ran at the bench, kicking off the seat to spring off of its back with one foot, backflipping forward to the grass, where she stood with her hands snapping in time to the beat once more.

Vinyl's arms shot up, giving her the rock horns in appreciation. Moments later the two of them were taking off into the park proper, jumping the cement pathways on their way across the grass toward the stone fountain in its center.

They leapt up onto the fountain's edge and turned toward each other, their heels clicking on the stone in unison as their bodies bobbed and swayed together. Vinyl pumped her arms in front of her, lifting them over her head and bending her back over the water before letting them down, giving Lemon another grin.

Lemon Zest kicked her leg in front of her and stepped toward Vinyl aggressively, her fingers picking at the air quickly as she stepped over to her. Vinyl stepped back along the narrow fountain edge, but Lemon's steps were wider, closing the distance between them despite their rhythm remaining in perfect sync.

Lemon's hand snapped forward once she was close enough, and Vinyl raised her own hands as if to block. Their fingers intertwined between them, palm-to-palm, with their arms holding them apart. they swayed back and forth in a faux contest of strength, before suddenly Vinyl jerked their arms apart, yanking them chest-to-chest and grinning right in her face. Their legs swept back and forth across the fountain in a quick and wild dance. their hands broke their grip on each other, Vinyl's hands moving to her waist while Lemon's moved to Vinyl's shoulders.

Using each other for balance, they glided around the entire length of the fountain edge. Even when she felt her body flinging toward the water Lemon barely paid it any mind, she knew she wasn't about to get wet, and neither was Vinyl when it was her turn to spin out over the water, her hair whipping out from her head around her firmly planted headphones.

They had made several laps around the fountain when suddenly Vinyl Scratch brought them to a stop and leaned to one side, wrapping her arm around Lemon to hold her horizontal to the ground with her head dangling over the water in a low dipping motion, as Lemon's arms sprang over her head. It was there that the music finally ended, leaving Lemon Zest lying in Vinyl's arm, her chest heaving with her gasps for air, but her heart pounding in exhilaration.

Lemon looked up at Vinyl's eyes through her ruby sunglasses, seeing her lips curled into an excitable, energetic grin, and her eyes filled with energy. Lemon's hand moved up towards Vinyl's headphones, pulling one side off of her ear long enough to say one word.

"Lunch?"

Vinyl's free hand flashed a thumbs up. Lemon placed the earpiece back where it belonged, and Vinyl slung her up to her feet again, letting them both jump down from the edge of the fountain and make their way toward the sidewalk again.

Lemon Zest had to admit, though she had never met a CHS student she liked... there was a first time for everything.

( **To Be Continued** )


	2. The Shadows of Nightmare Night Part I

**A/N: Hi, guys, it's me SkullCrusher550. And welcome to another chapter of 'Shadowbolt Adventure' this is the second part of the story, I do hope you will leave me a review as possible also press the button of 'Follow plus Favorite' from the right side of the screen. Enjoy the story guys!**

 **Shadowbolt Adventure: Chapter II: The Shadows of Nightmare Night: Story Time Part I**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

"Once, a long time ago, there was a girl who thought that going out tonight, Nightmare Night, was no big deal. She thought that all of the stories about what happened to girls who went out alone were all made up to keep her in line... boy was she wrong."

"She snuck out of her parents' house at a quarter to ten. At first, nothing happened. She walked around the neighborhood, taking in all of the scary decorations, and hitting up the few houses that still had their porch lights on for some extra candy. It's no big deal, she kept saying to herself. All of those superstitions are stupid nonsense."

"Then, at ten o'clock, she heard the whispering. It was soft at first, so soft she couldn't make out what it was saying, even though it sounded like it was coming from right behind her. She looked back, but there was nothing there... and no matter how fast she tried to walk, it kept getting louder. She walked faster, and faster, and faster, but the whispers wouldn't stop. She began to jog, and then to run with all of her might, but still the whispers got louder."

"She ran as hard as she could towards her house, and some say she very nearly made it. But she wasn't quite at the door before she felt the shadows take her by the shoulders, halting her in her tracks... and suddenly the voice rose above a whisper..."

"YOU'RE MINE FOREVER!" Indigo Zap thrust her arms into the air with the loudest scream she could muster. Sour Sweet yelped and tumbled over backwards from her pillow on the floor, while Lemon Zest began coughing and pounding a fist on her chest over her tub of buttery popcorn. Sunny Flare's eyes widened, but she quickly composed herself with a hand over her lips, while Sugarcoat's eyes widened only slightly before returning to their normal, bored expression.

Indigo almost fell over laughing with her hands on her stomach. "Hahaha! I got you girls so hard! I told you I'm the master of Nightmare Night stories!"

"Oh yes you are the master, Indigo, the master of screaming like a freak!" Sour Sweet huffed and folded her arms over her chest.

The group of them were in pajamas and nightgowns in the middle of Lemon Zest's living room. The Friendship Games had come and gone, but in its wake the group of them had decided that, in the end, they had quite a bit of fun together on their CHS excursion aside from demonic students having an epic ultimate clash of good and evil. So they began spending more time together, a couple of months now, leading up to tonight. Indigo's favorite night.

Sugarcoat reached up to adjust her slightly skewed glasses. "I'm going to have to agree with Sour Sweet. Your juvenile jumpscare tactics are the kind of thing children use to scare each other."

"Oh yeah?" Indigo snickered. "Then why is Lemon Zest still freaking out?"

"She's choking to death on a popcorn kernel," Sugarcoat pointed out flatly.

There was a moment of silence, aside from Lemon's gasping and wheezing, before Sunny leapt from the carpet to the couch behind her and wrapped her arms around her stomach, giving her the Heimlich maneuver until a single popcorn came shooting out of her throat to land right in the middle of the group.

"Gaaahhh...!" Lemon Zest gasped for air. "Oh man that is so much better. Thanks Sunny!"

"Don't mention it." Sunny jumped from the couch back to her pillow in the girl-circle.

The crisis averted, Indigo Zap crossed her arms over her chest. "Anyway, if any of you think you've got better stories than me, this is the night to tell them. I want to be scared."

Sour Sweet clasped her hands in front of her. "Oh, how could we possibly come up with a better story than that?"

"That's a great question." Indigo stuck out her chest proudly.

Sour Sweet stuck one finger up in the air. "Oh wait, I think I've got one! Roses are red, violets are blue, your story was stupid, and so are you!"

Indigo rolled her eyes. "No need to get all defensive about getting scared, it happens to everybody."

Sugarcoat interjected again. "I think I have a scary story you all might enjoy."

Indigo laughed. "You? Seriously?" When Sugarcoat raised her eyebrow she raised her hands calmingly. "Hey, no offense, Sugarcoat, but you don't exactly seem like a storyteller to me."

"Aw, don't listen to her, I wanna hear your story." Lemon Zest popped a couple more popcorn kernels into her mouth. "The more the merrier."

"Yeah, go on. I wanna hear it too." Sunny Flare settled onto her stomach on the floor with her arms resting on her pillow, looking at Sugarcoat.

"I didn't say she couldn't tell it." Zap turned to Sugarcoat with a challenging smile. "Go ahead and scare me. I want it."

"Very well." Sugarcoat cleared her throat into one hand and made herself more comfortable on the carpet. "This is a story that took place a long time ago..."

"Once, before the modern age, before technology, before electricity, a girl was out for a night on the town with her friends. Times were very different back then. Danger lurked around every corner, without police monitoring or security cameras. She had no idea that among her friends, an unassuming boy named Vlad Impaler was hiding a secret. If she had known, she probably wouldn't have had her massive crush on him."

"It was because of this crush that, one Nightmare Night while they were out partying with their friends, she agreed to let him take her aside for a private talk. She expected a makeout, what she got instead was a savage attack. You see, Vlad Impaler craved blood, and once he got her alone, the hunger took him over and he pounced. She had no hope of escape, his strength was too great... he bit her, right then and there... but to her surprise she didn't die."

"Vlad vanished from town the next day, but she was still there. She started having strange thoughts and cravings... and sometimes she even dreamed of stalking her friends. Hunting them through the darkness. Cornering them. Conquering them. Drinking their blood. The thirst never overtook her enough for her to hurt anybody... until the next Nightmare Night."

"So it has been for the last three hundred years. She makes her friends, chooses which ones she will get alone on Nightmare Night... and feasts on them before moving onto the next group. You know, it kind of feels good finally telling this story to somebody. You see, the name of the girl in this story? Her name is Sugarcoat."

The room was deathly silent as Sugarcoat's eyes flitted between the rest of the group, as if sizing up a selection of juicy stakes.

It must have been ten seconds before Indigo Zap felt her heart slow and her breath even out enough to speak. "H-heh, hehe, wow, dang Sugarcoat. Okay, you really got me going there. Geeze, I didn't know you had that in you." Lemon Zest, Sunny Flare, and Sour Sweet finally released their own tension in quick, nervous giggles.

Lemon Zest rubbed her head with one hand. "Yeah, dude, that was a heck of story. With the way you always tell the truth, I didn't think you'd be so good at stories."

A wry smirk tugged at the corner of Sugarcoat's lips. "I simply see no reason to ever lie, Lemon Zest. Especially to people who'll never be able to tell anybody else the truth... after all..." Without warning the lights in the living room went black, plunging the whole room into pitch blackness. Sugarcoat's next words floated out of the darkness in a sharp hiss. " _I always tell the truth._ "

( **To be Continue** )

 **A/N: What will happened to another part of the story known as 'The Shadows Of Nightmare Night', find out! From the new episode of 'Shadowbolt Adventures'!**


	3. The Shadows of Nightmare Night Part II

**A/N: Welcome back to another part of 'The Shadows of Nightmare Night', hope you guys enjoy the story! also drop some reviews from review section, that'll be appreciated. Please enjoy!**

 **Shadowbolt Adventure: Chapter II: The Shadows of Nightmare Night: Bolting From Shadows Part II**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

The screams split the air in unison as the four girls scrambled to get out of the living room through the darkness. "Everyone, get out! Run!" Sunny Flare shouted.

"Women and children first!" Indigo Zap screamed.

Sour Sweet growled back, "we're all women and we're all the same age!"

"Then Indigos and Zaps first!" Indigo's hands found the staircase near the hallway, and she gripped the rail as she bolted up the steps in the dark. "Come on girls the stairs are over here!"

Her heart was pounding as hard as her legs as she took the stairs two at a time, coming out on the top floor, which was thankfully illuminated by the moonlight coming in through the window at the end of the hall. She charged for Lemon Zest's bedroom and jerked the door open, holding it for her other three non-vampiric companions before slamming and locking the door behind her.

The panting and the pounding of her heart echoing in her own ears was all Indigo could hear for what must have been several minutes. She gulped to try to calm herself, but it was Sunny Flare who calmed down enough to speak first.

"Hahaha, oh man... what are we doing?" Sunny put a hand to her chest. "We just ran away from Sugarcoat after a silly Nightmare Night story. We must look like a bunch of buffoons."

"Hah... hah..." Sour Sweet gulped in her own breath of air. "Y-yeah, you're right... she's probably down there laughing her twiggy butt off at us."

"Or she's a vampire who's going to come after us to eat us!" Indigo Zap pointed out.

Sunny laughed and shook her head. "She's not a vampire, they don't even exist."

"Then how do you explain the lights going out?" Indigo insisted. "They went out at the perfect time!"

Lemon Zest put a finger to her chin. "Is that even a power vampires have? Turning off lights?"

"Maybe! Have you ever met one? I sure haven't!" Indigo rushed to the window to pull it open, sticking her head out. There was a tall tree just within reach. "Let's get out of here girls, before she comes up here to find us!"

"Are you being serious right now?" Sunny walked up behind her. "We're not leaving the house in the dead of night because you're freaked out by a vampire."

"Are you serious? Do you want to be a member of the undead for the rest of eternity!?"

"Dude!" Lemon's jaws gaped open. "That sounds awesome!"

"Oh yeah, it totally does!" Sour Sweet swept up beside them. "I can't wait to be rejected from society and hunted like a dog for the rest of my life!"

"Please tell me you're not getting into this too..." Sunny Flare grunted.

"Come on, we can go out the window, it's not that far down." Indigo Zap pushed Lemon toward the window.

"Aw, come on! I don't wanna go, I wanna be a vampire!" Lemon whirled back toward Indigo in defiance. "I'm not going!"

Indigo put her hands on her hips. "I'm sorry Lemon, but you'll thank me for this later." She reached out, placed a hand on Lemon's chest, and shoved her out the window.

"Gyah!" The sound of snapping tree branches were followed quickly by a dull thud from below. Glancing outside, Indigo saw the girl lying on the grass, dazed, but unharmed.

"Come on girls, let's get out of here!" Indigo jumped up to the windowsill.

"Indigo, come on, this is ridiculous! Sugarcoat is not a vampire! No matter how good a setup it was!" Sunny Flare declared.

"If you wanna take that risk, go right ahead. We'll be getting somewhere safe for the night." Indigo jumped out toward the tree, clinging to it and making her way smoothly toward the grass below. She knelt down to help Lemon Zest to her feet, lifting her from the ground with both arms.

"Turquoise taco tambourine..." Lemon Zest's eyes spun around her head as she wobbled against Indigo's side. By the time Lemon was on her feet Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare had reached the grass.

"So where exactly will we be safe?" Sunny Flare demanded.

"We can go to Twilight Sparkle's house, she was there when all that magic went down at CHS, so she'll believe us about this, and she seems nice enough to help. Come on, I know where it is!" Indigo dragged Lemon Zest along with her as she led the way down the sidewalk.

The night was dark and cold, with the bitter chill of fall cutting at their exposed skin, and even blowing right through the thin fabric of Indigo's pajama bottoms and t-shirt. She had always liked Nightmare Night, but it was late, and all of the porch lights were turned off, but many of the decorations were still lit. Ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, and ghouls of all descriptions leered at them as they passed. These familiar decorations sent a chill running up her spine, especially when she spotted several plastic vampires with glowing red eyes.

Twilight Sparkle's house wasn't far, and was one of the few that had no decorations out front at all. Indigo led the way up the porch to pound her fist on the door.

Twilight Sparkle opened the door after a few more hefty pounds, yawning and rubbing her forehead over her thick-rimmed glasses. "H-hello? Indigo Zap?"

Indigo looked down at Twilight's pajamas incredulously. She was wearing a full-body set of purple pajamas, complete with attached footsies. She spoke in unison with Sunny Flare. "Seriously?"

"Hey, it's comfortable." Twilight blushed. "If you came just to make fun of me..."

"No, no, sorry." Indigo shook her head. "We're not here for that, we sort of need to hide out here."

"Hide out?" Twilight looked back and forth between the four of them in surprise. "Hide out from what?"

"Sugarcoat's a vampire!" Indigo exclaimed.

"And Indigo won't let me become one!" Lemon pouted, having regained her senses on the walk over.

"A vampire?" Twilight hid her lips behind one hand for a moment. "Did she come from Uranus by any chance?"

"What? I don't know... maybe..." Indigo gasped. "Holy crap, an alien vampire!"

Sunny slapped the back of Indigo's head with one hand as she stepped past her. "Trust me, I know it sounds ridiculous, but the truth is I'm tired, it's cold, and these three won't go back to Lemon's house. Please, Twilight." She hugged her shoulders tightly against the chill wind, clad in a white ankle-length nightgown herself.

Twilight nodded and stepped aside to let them in. "Of course, come in out of the cold." Once they were all inside Twilight closed the door behind them. "Make yourselves comfortable, I'll get you some cocoa."

"Thank you, Twilight. We owe you one." Sunny Flare settled down on the soft sofa in the middle of the living room.

"Yeah, Twilight, thanks." Sour Sweet sat down on the chair beside the sofa. She blinked when she realized everyone was staring at her expectantly. "What? I mean it. Sheesh. You people."

After Twilight had disappeared into the kitchen the four girls settled into the living room to catch their breath, letting the central heat warm them after being out in the cold air.

"You all realize this is completely insane, right?" Sunny commented as she hugged her knees to her chest on the couch. "We can't hide from Sugarcoat for the rest of our lives."

Indigo Zap stroked her chin thoughtfully for a moment. "She said she only does it on Nightmare Night, we just have to stay here until then. Maybe she'll be back to normal tomorrow."

Sunny sighed. "Right. Back to normal."

"Phooey..." Lemon grumped with her chin in her hands.

"Does anyone else think Twilight's been gone a while?" Sour Sweet looked up curiously. "I'm getting thirsty."

"I'm here, sorry." Twilight made her way into the living room with a tray of four cups, setting it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. "Took me a little while to find the cocoa powder."

"Don't worry about it, you did this for us after all." Sunny took her cup, blowing the steam off the top with a short breath.

"Don't mention it, I couldn't leave you out in the cold. You can stay as long as you need to feel comfortable." Twilight turned to head back to the kitchen. "Does anybody want a snack?"

"I'll take some cookies or muffins or something." Lemon raised her hand.

"Isn't it a little late for sweets?" Twilight turned back toward them at the kitchen door. "You'll never get to sleep."

"Come on Twilight, it's nightmare night. You gotta be a little b-" Indigo Zap stuttered to a stop when she saw a shape moving behind Twilight in the kitchen. She could see a black cape moving towards her, topped by two long white pigtails. "T-T-Twilight... Twilight..."

"What?" Twilight raised her eyebrow curiously as the pigtails drew ever closer to her back. "Are you okay, Indigo?"

Sour Sweet whispered harshly, her hands yanking at her hair. "Twilight... behind you... look behind you!"

Twilight giggled into one hand. "Come on, I know I'm new to this 'friendship' thing, but you'll have to do better than that to get me with a Nightmare Night prank."

No sooner had she spoken than Sugarcoat's arms flung her black cape open, and wrapped around Twilight's torso, yanking her back toward the kitchen. Twilight screamed and gripped the doorframe with both hands, struggling against her grip. The other four girls screamed and stumbled back away from the sofa as the struggle ensued.

"Oh gosh! Please no! Noooooo!" Twilight howled as her fingers gave out and she vanished into the kitchen, which suddenly went dark and silent.

"What... the..." Indigo gripped her chest, whirling on Sunny Flare. "Now do you believe it!?"

"N-no!" Sunny was panting just as hard as the others however, gripping her own chest. "It's still a prank, still a-"

She trailed off when Sugarcoat appeared in the light from the living room lamps, moving towards them slowly from the kitchen. The black cape was draped around her shoulders hiding her body from view, but there was now red liquid staining her lips. Her eyes swept over the four terrified girls in front of her as a smirk tugged as the side of her lips. "So... who wants to come to me first?"

Indigo grabbed Lemon Zest suddenly and shoved her forward. "Lemon Zest does! She totally wants to come with you!"

"Waugh!" Lemon Zest stumbled forward in surprise and collapsed to her knees. No sooner was she down than Indigo was out the door, with Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet flanking her on either side.

"That was cold, Indigo!" Sunny shouted as they ran.

"I don't see you going back for her!" Indigo pointed out.

"Just shut up and keep running!" Sour Sweet growled as they charged off into the night, in search of a new safe haven, if indeed there were any to be found.

( **To be Continue** )

 **A/N: The third part will be next week, I hope. I will continue this formidable story that DragonShadow had created, I assure you will enjoy this one. So** **,** **like** **Antonio** **my** **OC** **said** "Побалуйте себя в фанфики, потому что каждый автор должен написать свою собственную историю, чтобы наслаждаться." **See** **ya** **guys** **!** **And see ya soon!**


	4. The Shadows of Nightmare Night Part III

**A/N: Hello, anybody, SkullCrusher550 is back for another story! this story that I wrote like last Sunday I think, was called 'ShadowBolt Adventure'. I hope you will enjoy the story, Please reviews are welcome guys! Also press the button of 'Favorites and Follow' on the left screen, if you had time. Enjoy guys!**

 **ShadowBolt Adventure: Chapter III: Chasing Shadows Part III**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

Sugarcoat stood with her arms crossed over her chest in the middle of Twilight Sparkle's living room, peering curiously down at Lemon Zest as the other girl slowly climbed to her feet.

"Does it hurt?" Lemon asked as she stood up straight, twiddling her thumbs in front of her. "You know... becoming a vampire? Because I'm not totally against the idea."

"Um..." Sugarcoat hesitated.

"You know what, I don't care if it hurts... just do it to me. I want it." Lemon stepped forward, baring her neck at Sugarcoat. "I want to join you, bite me!"

Sugarcoat stepped back as the other girl stepped forward. "Hey, this seems a little short notice... I really feel like we should get to know each other better first or something..."

"You'll bite Twilight but not me? Come on, that's not fair!" Lemon Zest jumped on her, trying to pull her head toward her neck while Sugarcoat struggled to free herself and hold the shorter girl back. They stumbled into the kitchen, Sugarcoat's back hitting the center island in its center.

"Lemon Zest! Get off of me! I'm not going to bite your neck!"

Suddenly the lights turned on and Lemon Zest paused, looking up to see Twilight Sparkle standing with a finger on the light switch and her other hand covering her rapid giggles.

"Twilight? You've already turned?" Lemon gaped.

"I didn't turn into anything, come on, get down from there." Twilight approached to gently pull Lemon down off of Sugarcoat. "When you showed up out of nowhere I called Sugarcoat for the real story, and she asked me to help her with this little prank."

"Prank?" Lemon Zest blinked. "It was all a prank the whole time?"

"It wasn't intentional at first." Sugarcoat reached up to shift her glasses back into place on her nose. "You guys just reacted so strongly to my story I thought it might be fun to keep it up."

"Dude..." Lemon Zest cackled. "You're amazing! That was the best prank I've ever been a victim of!"

"Thank you." Sugarcoat put her hands on her hips. "Now we really should go find the others before they freeze to death out in the cold."

"Oooh! Let's hunt them!" Lemon rubbed her hands together eagerly. "We can bring them home after we scare the crap out of them a bit more!"

"I could go for a little more fun." Sugarcoat smiled. "But we need a way to find them."

Twilight raised a finger. "I don't think that'll be a problem. Spike knows what you all smell like by now, he can track them wherever they go."

"Excellent. All that leaves then is getting you two dressed appropriately."

It wasn't long before they set out into the night, each clad in a black cape with their hair properly done up in knots against their heads. Twilight's dog, Spike, led the way, his nose sniffing the sidewalk quickly as they went, but his gait was quick and sure. They made their way through the cold darkness, soon making their way up the steps towards Crystal Prep Academy. Spike stopped at the front door, looking up at the towering building.

"The scent goes inside here." He stated definitively.

Sugarcoat crossed her arms with an approving nod. "It makes sense. It's warm in there, and there's lots of room to hide. Very strategically sound."

"Not enough room to hide from us, isn't that right Spike?" Twilight knelt down to scratch her puppy behind the ears appreciatively.

"Heh, you know it, Twilight." Spike's tail slapped against her arm happily.

"Come on, lead the way." The school doors let them in easily and they made their way through the darkened hallways, letting the lights from Sugarcoat and Twilight's cell phones light the way, along with the high windows on the walls letting in the soft moonlight, while Spike sniffed his way forward.

There was an uncomfortable stillness in the air, almost casting an ominous pall over the school. Sugarcoat couldn't help but think there was something she was overlooking here. The hallways of Crystal Prep were all familiar to her, of course, but the ones Spike was leading them down looked extra familiar. They were being led towards the gymnasium, in fact. It seemed strange to hide in such a wide-open section of the building instead of a classroom full of desks.

"Hey, Sugarcoat?" Lemon Zest's voice cut through the stillness.

"Yes, Lemon Zest?"

"We're going to the gym... isn't that where they keep the archery gear?"

No sooner did she speak than the soft thwip sound signaled the release of an arrow from its bow. All three of them yelped in shock, and Twilight dove for Spike as the arrow sailed, barely visible, right past them through the light from Sugarcoat's phone.

"Yes. Yes it is!" Sugarcoat whirled to run down the hallway away from the gym, Spike clenched tightly in Twilight's arms as they ran. The sound of several more arrows being fired followed them, followed by the sound of the arrows rebounding off of the stone walls around them. One came so close it bounced off of the floor and smacked sideways into Sugarcoat's ankle, getting between her legs and sending her tumbling to the floor.

"Sugarcoat!" Lemon Zest grabbed her and hauled her to the thankfully close hallway corner, where Twilight joined them with Spike moments later. The three of them leaned against the wall, panting and stunned.

"Twilight..." Sugarcoat panted.

"Yeah?"

"I feel like we've gravely miscalculated."

"Agreed."

From the hallway past the gym they heard another thwip sound, and they barely got out of the way before the arrow skidded across the wall they'd been leaning against with a horrifying scratching noise.

Lemon Zest waved her arms in the air furiously. "Stop firing! We're not vampires! It was a prank!"

"Oh right, you're not vampires now that you're on the receiving end! Suck wood blood-suckers!" Sour Sweet's voice echoed down the hallway as a storm of arrows flew towards them.

The three girls jumped to their feet and charged down the hallway again, narrowly avoiding the small hailstorm of arrows from one of Crystal Prep's most decorated archers. The wood bounced and scraped off of the walls and floors all around, and more than once an arrow passed right by where Sugarcoat had been moments after she lurched to one side.

They found the next corner and whirled down it, but didn't stop running this time. "We've got to get out of here!" Twilight huffed, out of breath.

"The door isn't too far! Keep going and we can outrun them!" Lemon Zest surged ahead of the other two, skidding out into the main foyer only to come to a dead stop, staring ahead toward the light from the windows on the front entrance.

Twilight and Sugarcoat joined her to see Indigo Zap crouched on one knee in front of the doors, an arrow already nocked and trained on the three of them.

"Indigo, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to go so far." Sugarcoat raised her arms over her head. "It was all a prank, we're not vampires."

"Yeah, that's exactly what a vampire would say." Indigo pulled back on the string. The breath caught in Sugarcoat's throat and Twilight squeaked, wrapping Spike in her arms and turning him away from the arrow. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the other exits from the main foyer being covered by Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare, coming down the hallways with their own arrows nocked and ready to launch.

Sugarcoat huffed despite her terror. "Indigo, listen to me. You're being stupid and gullible. Stop it."

"Wouldn't I be gullible if I listened to you and then got eaten?"

"She has a point there." Lemon Zest chimed in.

"Nobody asked you." Sugarcoat glared at her flatly.

"So what're we gonna do with them?" Sunny Flare asked as she reached the end of the hallway. "Shooting them doesn't feel right. I mean... what if they're telling the truth?"

Sour Sweet's hand on her string almost looked like it was itching to let loose. "Let God sort 'em out."

"Wait, I've got it." Indigo glanced up at the clock handing above one of the doors. "It's almost sunrise. We can tie them to the flagpole outside, and if they don't explode when the sun hits them, they're telling the truth."

Twilight Sparkle sighed wistfully. "It wouldn't be the first time I was tied to that flagpole anyway..."

Sugarcoat let herself be escorted outside with her two companions, followed by the three archers until they all surrounded the flagpole outside, where the Crystal Prep Academy flag flew proudly over the courtyard. Sunny Flare grabbed some rope from a janitor's closet and tied the three of them to the flagpole with Sour Sweet's help, while Indigo kept her bow at the ready. Thankfully their black vampire capes gave them some protection from the chill wind.

"Come on, isn't this a little extreme?" Spike paced around the flagpole nervously as the two girls tied their knot. "I'm not sure what vampires are, but I know Twilight isn't one. Twilight's amazing!"

"Maybe you're a vampire and we should tie you up too." Indigo smirked.

"Don't you dare!" Twilight snapped as Spike whimpered and ducked behind her legs.

"You know, I've never been tied up before." Lemon Zest jerked at the ropes. "It's actually kinda-"

"Please don't." Sugarcoat leaned back against the cold metal as she met eyes with Indigo. "You know, I didn't think this friendship was going to work out when it first started. But honestly? I think I've really had a lot of fun tonight."

"Yeah?" Indigo finally lowered her bow and arrow to her side now that the ropes were secure. "Why didn't you think it was gonna work?"

"It just seemed frivolous to me. We had almost nothing in common, we don't even share most of the same classes. I didn't understand how it could possibly work. But yeah, over time it..." She trailed off when she looked beside her and saw Twilight Sparkle beaming brightly with a toothy grin. "You look really smug right now."

"Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt... it's just I sort of felt the same way when I met my new friends." Twilight smiled. "I barely knew what to expect when I transferred to CHS, but it's been absolutely amazing. I'm just glad you guys got to find what I found here."

"You could always come back to Crystal Prep, Twilight." Indigo suggested.

"No thank you... lots of memories... but if you guys want to hang out outside of school some time, I think I'd be up for that."

"Yeah, sure... if you don't burst into flames in ten seconds." Indigo glanced toward the horizon, where the first golden rays of the sun were just emerging.

The light grew brighter by the moment, watched by the six teenage girls and their hiding dog in the middle of the Crystal Prep academy courtyard. It rose into the air, until at last the light moved over the girls directly.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Lemon Zest let out a powerful shriek of agony that nearly made Sugarcoat's heart stop. Indigo Zap, Sour Sweet, and Sunny Flare dropped their bows in shock, then quickly fumbled for them, but by the time they got them trained on Lemon Zest the scream of pain had faded into riotous laughter.

"Holy crap, I am so sorry, I couldn't resist!" Lemon laughed with her head leaning against the pole. "Your faces are too perfect!"

"Geeze..." Indigo let out a puff of air and lowered her arrow. "You almost got three new air holes..."

"It looks like we're not vampires after all." Sugarcoat pointed out. "Can we get off this pole now?"

"Yeah, sure." Indigo, Sour, and Sunny quickly removed the ropes binding the other three girls, letting them move away from the pole and stretch out.

Sour Sweet let out a loud yawn, putting one hand over her mouth. "Oh man I didn't sleep a wink last night... with all that excitement I really need to snooze, badly."

"I think we could all use some sleep." Sugarcoat agreed.

"Let's head back to my place and get some shuteye," Lemon Zest offered. "This was supposed to be a slumber party, after all. And you're welcome to come too, Twilight."

"I'd like that..." Twilight giggled as Spike left into her now-free arms. "As long as you don't mind dogs."

"Naw, he's a cutie anyway." Lemon Zest scratched Spike behind the ears with one hand. The dog grinned, his tail pounding Twilight in the chest as he leaned his cheek against Lemon's chest and licked at her chin.

The group of girls moved to head down the sidewalk in companionable silence, until Sunny Flare moved into step beside Sugarcoat.

"There's still one thing I don't know." Sunny Flare commented. "How did you make the lights go out at the perfect time after you finished your story?"

Sugarcoat yawned, hiding a smile behind her hand as she kept walking.

"S-Sugarcoat?" Sunny's step faltered a bit.

"Let's hurry up. I really need some sleep." Sugarcoat smiled to herself and rushed ahead of the group, knowing the others would keep up with her.

This was the longest Nightmare Night any of them had gone through in their lives, but strangely it was also the most satisfying. Perhaps Twilight was right when she talked so much about the magic of friendship. Well, she wasn't sure about magic, but it certainly made life more interesting.

( **To be Continue** )


	5. Standing Up

**A/N: Here's another part of the story known as 'ShadowBolt Adventure', Hope you leave me some positive review from the section that'll be appreciated. Don't forget to 'Follow or Favorite' this fic, enjoy guys!**

 **ShadowBolt Adventure: Chapter IV: Standing Up**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

It was another bright, calm day as Twilight Sparkle sat on her usual bench near the street in front of Canterlot High School. The day was less calm in the depths of the book open on her lap, Daring Do and the Tantibus Nightmare. Twilight had always found human psychology to be rather boring and unproductive as a field of study, but in the world of fiction it fascinated her like little else. And this was one of her favorite examples of how exciting it could be to peer into the mind of another.

It was almost difficult to pry her eyes away from the pages as the bus pulled up to the bus stop, and the doors opened. Closing her book with a slam, Twilight clutched it in her arms and made her way inside. She shared a brief wave with the driver before making her way into the back, where she felt her heart sink slightly.

He was there again, an older man probably in his sixties with plain gray clothes and a thick, scraggly beard that hung down to his chest. Their eyes met for only an instant before his eyes turned away from her toward the window, as they did nearly every day. Even though he was looking away, Twilight has a disturbing feeling he hadn't quit watching her. She saw this kind of thing talked about all the time on the internet...

She moved to the back of the bus where she was comfortable and plopped down on the seat before the bus started to move again. She tried to get back into her book, but out of the corner of her eye she could still see his eyes drifting over to her. She started to feel sick, and she couldn't focus, so she closed her book, shoved it into her backpack, and resorted to staring out the window for the ride into the city.

Under other circumstances she didn't mind the twenty minute ride home from school, but now the ride felt interminably long. When they finally reached her stop she got up immediately and made her way to the front, doing her best to ignore the eyes that seemed to be following her. She jumped out of the bus last, after a couple of others, and glanced back at the door to watch it close. As every other day, the man hadn't followed her off the bus. Still, it wasn't until the bus pulled away from the curb that she felt herself relax.

The sound of her cell phone ringing from her pocket made her jump for a moment before reaching down to pluck it out of her skirt pocket. It was a text message from Indigo Zap.

Hey Twi, could use your help with something. Come by when you get back in town.

After thumbing a quick reply Twilight hefted her backpack, fixed her glasses, and made her way down the sidewalk toward Indigo Zap's house.

As she approached, she could see Indigo in her driveway, her legs sticking out from under a true rust bucket of a car. The sound of clanging and wrenching came from the car's hood, only to stop as Twilight drew close.

"Hey!" Indigo Zap grabbed the edge of the car and slid out from underneath it on the wheeled trolley she was lying on. Her face and hands were covered in engine oil and grease. "You don't know how to fix the smog sensors in here, do you?"

Twilight smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm more a tinkerer of small electronics than heavy machinery. What are you doing?"

"My dad said if I can get this thing running it's mine. I accept that challenge." Indigo slapped one hand on the side of the car.

"Oh! I really wish I could help, but I probably won't be much use to you..."

"You okay, Twi?" Indigo sat up on her trolley, giving her a piercing look. "You look a bit pale today."

"Yeah, fine." Twilight adjusted her glasses nervously. Indigo Zap's droll expression said she wasn't buying it. "Nothing happened or anything, there's just this man on the bus sometimes."

"A man?" This got Indigo's attention immediately. "What does he do?"

"He doesn't do anything, I just get the feeling he's always watching me. It kind of creeps me out a bit."

"Well, you have some way of defending yourself if something does happen, right?"

"I have pepper spray in my backpack." Twilight nodded.

"That's it? That's not nearly good enough." Indigo stood up, wiping her hands off on an already filthy washrag. "By the time you got that out it could already be too late. You gotta be able to like, hold him off or something while you go for it."

"Oh? I'm not exactly very muscular or athletic like you."

Indigo slung an arm around her shoulders. "You don't have to be to defend yourself, you just gotta be smart." She winked. "Well, I mean, you already got that covered, you just gotta know how to use those smarts to protect yourself."

"Well, I never pass up a chance to learn new things, I guess."

"Great. Let me clean up a little and I can show you a few things." With a wink Indigo Zap turned to head into her house, snapping a toolbox off of the driveway as she went.

It wasn't much time later when Twilight found herself in Indigo's backyard with boxing gloves strapped to her hands, and Indigo Zap standing in front of her wielding a set of target mitts. "Okay, the key to stunning a creep is to have a mean right hook. You don't have to knock them out, just knock them back long enough to get your pepper spray out."

"O-okay..." Twilight tapped her boxing gloves together nervously.

"Okay, let's see what you've got." Indigo held out her gloves, taking a wide stance in front of her.

Twilight stared at Indigo's gloves, then glanced at her own. How much force could she apply without hurting Indigo or herself? Could she even apply enough force for that if she tried? Biologically speaking she didn't have many muscles, she was a stick compared to many girls her age. Then again, humans were capable of extraordinary feats of strength under the right circumstances. Maybe if she pretended she was really in trouble she could find the strength to-

"Hit me, Sparkle!"

"Eep!" Twilight squeaked and lashed out with her right fist, her glove tapping the center of Indigo's. She held her glove there for a moment before pulling it back to rub her aching wrist. "Owww..."

"Okay, that's okay. It was a first try." Indigo reassured her. "Try to tighten up your arms when you hit, it'll give the punch more force and you won't get that sting in your wrist."

"Okay..." Twilight took a deep breath and wound up as much as she could, bringing her arm back and sending it launching forward. It struck Indigo's glove, barely nudging it, and sending a sharp stab of pain racing up her arm. "Aaaah! Owie owie owie!"

"Ugh..." Indigo's shoulders slumped. "What are you made of, Pixie Stix?"

"I've never hit anything harder than a pillow before, and I have really soft pillows..." Twilight did her best to rub her wrist with the heft boxing glove blocking her fingers.

Indigo rubbed her forehead with her fingers. "Okay, clearly this is the wrong approach..." She snapped her fingers suddenly. "Hah, got it. If we can't teach you to hit, maybe we can teach you to brawl. We'll just need a live demonstration... come on, we're going to the park."

Lemon's Zest's skates carried her around the middle of the park that stood at the center of their fair city. There were still plenty of people milling about on the spiraling, twisting pathways through the otherwise lush green grass and tall, but well-groomed bushes. It was inside one of these bushes that Twilight found herself with Indigo Zap, both of them peering out at the pathway, where Lemon Zest was zooming by on her inline skates with her headphones on her ears.

"First you see me riding on a sonic boom. Got my guitar shredding out my latest tune..." Lemon's hands shredded at the air in front of her as she zipped right past their bush.

"Do you want to tell me what we're doing here, Indigo?" Twilight asked curiously. "She looks like she's just having a good time."

"Of course she is, she's totally absorbed." Indigo gave Twilight a grin. "She's also totally vulnerable to a surprise attack!"

"Uh... I don't follow."

"I'm gonna sneak up on her and 'attack' her. You'll get a nice live demonstration of how to protect yourself if it happens to you."

"Um..." Twilight considered for a moment. "I feel like there are many fundamental problems with that plan."

"Oh come on, you eggheads are all like that, always worrying too much. She stops me, we have a laugh and a couple of giggles, and you get to see how it's done."

"I still don't know if-"

"Watch and learn." Indigo ducked out of the bush suddenly, making her way through the line of bushes alongside the walking path.

"I'm the son of rage and love..." Lemon's hands clapped together in front of her rhythmically. The grin on her face only grew wider as she spun around on her skates. "The Jesus of Su-BAAAAHHHH!" Lemon let out a shriek as Indigo suddenly threw herself out of the bushes, grabbing her around the waist from behind.

Twilight Sparkle didn't know if roller blades could count as deadly weapons in a court of law, but Lemon Zest sure made a strong case for it. Her wheels slammed immediately down on Indigo's foot, drawing a shriek of pain from the girl, who stumbled to the side in shock. Lemon pressed the attack blindly, one skated foot slamming right into Indigo's stomach, doubling her over to get her in range for a spinning kick right to the nostrils. Indigo was on her back on the sidewalk within ten seconds, groaning in pain as Lemon finally whirled to get a good look at her.

"Indigo?" Lemon finally stopped. "What are you doing acting like a sneaky pervert?"

"I'm so sorry, Lemon Zest!" Twilight rushed out of her hiding spot to join them. "She did that for my sake! She wanted you to show me how to defend myself... I don't think I could pull that off, though."

"Defend yourself? Well-" Lemon glanced down at Indigo's reaching arm suddenly collapsed to the pavement. "Let's get her some help first..."

Ten minutes later Lemon Zest was sitting in the grass with Indigo's head on her lap gently wiping down her face with a wet washrag while Twilight cradled her hand comfortingly. Zap was conscious now, and looking better, but one couldn't be too careful with head injuries.

"There you go." Lemon smiled gently. "You feeling better?"

Indigo grumbled in response. "Don't use that tone with me..."

"Anyway..." Lemon looked up at Twilight. "What are you trying to defend yourself from?"

Twilight blushed and cleared her throat, pushing her glasses up her nose with one hand. "There's this man on the bus I take home from school sometimes who doesn't seem to be able to keep his eyes off of me. I'm afraid things might go bad any day now..."

"Geeze, that sucks, dude." Lemon nodded. "And definitely worth preparing for! But really, if you wanna learn to defend yourself from sneaky perverts, you should talk to Sunny Flare. She takes a martial arts class every Friday, that sort of thing is exactly her specialty."

"Yeah?" Indigo's eyes snapped fully open and she sat up. "Yeah, that's perfect! We should go talk to her!"

"Yeah..." Twilight rubbed the back of her neck. "We probably should've gone to her first in fact..."

"Details, details!" Indigo climbed to her feet, wobbling only slightly once she was vertical. "Sunny Flare should be at her place, I bet she could show you a thing or two to make that pervert think twice."

"Yeah!" Lemon Zest leapt up beside her friends. "Let's go pay her a visit!" She threw herself back onto the sidewalk, skating ahead of them as Twilight Sparkle and Indigo Zap took the sidewalk more slowly.

Sunny Flare's house wasn't too far, a modestly-sized place further out from the school, backed up against the edge of a lush green forest just beyond its backyard. By the time Twilight Sparkle and Indigo Zap approached the front door, Lemon Zest was already rolling back and forth on the driveway with her skates, while Sunny Flare stood waiting for them in front of the garage with one hand on her hip.

"I've got to say I'm impressed, Twilight." Sunny nodded. "Too many girls just rely on others take care of them. I'm really glad to see you take the initiative for yourself."

Twilight blushed. "You make it sound so noble..."

"Well, maybe not noble, but respectable." Sunny Flare approached Twilight with an appraising eye. "I'm no martial arts master or anything, but I think we can go over some basics."

"As long as it doesn't require a lot of muscles. Me and Indigo already found out that doesn't work for me."

"Relax, martial arts isn't about strength, it's about coordination, finesse, and reflexes." Sunny walked away from her toward the other two. "Example A." She suddenly wound up and slapped Indigo across the face with a sound so sharp it made Twilight wince.

"Gah! Holy crap!" Indigo stumbled back, one hand lifting to her cheek. "What the heck, Sunny!?"

"That is what happens when you attack someone with poor reflexes," Sunny pointed out in a calm voice. "Indigo, slap me."

Indigo grinned and rolled her sleeve up her arm with a growl. "Yes ma'am." She wound up and threw her arm out, but Sunny whirled before it could reach her. She slammed one of her wrists into Indigo's wrist, knocking her arm forward as she turned, placing her back to Indigo's stomach. In less than two seconds she had grabbed Indigo's wrist and hurled her clean over her shoulder, slamming her into the pavement hard on her back.

"Whoa!" Twilight exclaimed.

"That was the most basic move of martial arts and pro wrestling, the hip toss." Sunny stood up straight again over Indigo's groaning body. "With very little effort you deflect an attack and use their own momentum to take them down."

"That sounds perfect for you, Twilight!" Lemon cheered. "No physical effort is kind of your thing!"

"Maybe... I didn't quite catch how to do it, though." Twilight stated.

"That's what practice is for." Sunny approached Twilight and took her wrists. "Now the first thing you do is put your arms up like this, using your wrists to push, not block, my arm. You want to move it this way, you got it?"

"I think so..." Twilight held her arms stiffly in front of her, like a boxer waiting for a punch.

"Okay, let's give it a try."

"Go Twilight, you can do it." Lemon Zest circled them lazily on her skates, waving a tiny flag in support.

Sunny Flare brought her arm around quickly, as if trying to grab at Twilight. Twilight stiffened as her arm approached, and lightly tapped her wrists. It thunked against Twilight's arms and, like a tree in a forest, Twilight's stiff body began slowly leaning backwards, until she collapsed entirely to the ground with a yelp, her glasses flying from her head.

A blur that was probably Sunny's head appeared leaning in front of her. "Um, are you okay, Twilight?"

Twilight sighed and groaned. "My back hurts now."

A blur that she was pretty sure was Indigo's head appeared from above her. "Here, I think you dropped these." Her hands moved into vision, and moments later Twilight's eyes cleared up as her glasses were placed on her nose.

"Thank you." Twilight adjusted the glasses on her face and allowed the two bigger girls to help lift her to her feet. "Ow... I guess coordination isn't my thing either..."

"Oh how cute! It's a party of all the best friends! Of course nobody bothered to invite me!" Sour Sweet's voice carried over to the from the sidewalk, where she was standing and glaring with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hey Sour Sweet!" Lemon Zest rolled toward the newcomer, circling her rapidly on her skates. "You're free to come join us! We're just trying to help Twilight with her problem."

"Problem?" Sour Sweet asked curiously.

Indigo responded next. "We're trying to figure out how Twilight can protect herself from jerks on the bus... without using her arms or her body in general, apparently."

"Protection? That's not that hard." Sour Sweet approached Twilight an appraising eye. "The key is attitude."

"Attitude?" Twilight blinked in surprise.

"You don't need to fight off anybody if they're too scared of you to try anything." Sour Sweet approached Twilight with her arms folded across her chest. "If someone tries to eye you up, stare 'em down! Make sure they know you aren't going to go for any of their crap, and if they try anything, they're gonna be sorry!"

"Why would they be sorry if I can't actually do anything to them?" Twilight asked confusedly.

"That's not the point!" Sour Sweet retorted. "It doesn't matter if you can do anything to them, just that they think you will!" She stood back with a wry grin on her face. "Now come on, show me how tough you can look."

"This has to end well..." Indigo grumbled.

Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath, then tried to put on the meanest face she could. Her lips tightened and her upper lip curled slightly toward her nose. Her eyes narrowed, while her cheeks rose toward her eyeballs. Her forehead furrowed like she'd seen in so many movies, and her jaw tightened, trying to bare the muscles in her neck.

"Okay, stop, stop, for God's sakes stop." Sour Sweet put her hands on Twilight's shoulders. "You look like you're about to pass out."

"Also like you have to go to the bathroom," Lemon Zest added helpfully.

"Try not to force it so much." Sour Sweet stepped back and put a hand on her hip, giving Twilight a sharp glare from under her eyebrows. "Just look like you hate everything and want it to die."

"This all explains so much about you," Sunny Flare quipped.

"Shut up, I'm teaching."

"Um, okay..." Twilight tried to lower her head and glare out from under her eyebrows, but her glasses slid down to the end of her nose and she was forced to abort to push them back up again. She tried a second time, only to have her glasses slide clean off. Her hands whipped at the air to catch them, grabbing hold of the earpiece to prevent them from breaking, but the furious motions sent her off-balance and she collapsed back to her butt on the pavement. "Oowwww..."

The rest of the gathered girls groaned, with Sour Sweet slapping her forehead with her palm. "Okay, let's just say attitude isn't your thing and move on."

"Yeah..." Twilight blushed sheepishly as she slid her glasses back on and climbed to her feet. "I'm sorry guys, thank you so much for trying to help me, but I guess I'm just not cut out for this. I'll figure something out."

"You're not giving up, are you?" Indigo demanded.

"It's getting late anyway..." Twilight turned to rush away from the small group. "I'll see you all tomorrow!"

The sun was drifting toward the horizon as she slowed her pace down the sidewalk, folding her arms in front of her. She regretted mentioning the whole thing to Indigo Zap. However much she was glad her friends were willing to help her, she really didn't want to bother them with this, nor did she want to dwell on what was probably only an issue in her own head. It was embarrassing and stupid, and she just wanted to go to bed and pretend the whole thing wasn't an issue.

Her route home took her past central park, where she could see many people still sitting, playing, and laughing in the golden rays of dusk's light. In particular she spotted Sugarcoat sitting on the grass with a notepad in her lap, staring up at the branches for a moment, then returning her attention to the notepad to scribble something. Twilight watched her repeat this routine a couple of times before taking off across the grass to approach her.

"Sugarcoat?" Twilight approached as her friend looked up from her notepad. "What are you doing there?"

"I'm writing." Sugarcoat scribbled a couple more things before setting her pen down on the pad. "I like to dabble in the arts sometimes."

"You do have a way with words." Twilight smiled slightly.

"You look upset about something. Do you want to tell me what?"

"You're also very observant."

"It's a gift." Sugarcoat peered at her over the rim of her glasses. "Have a seat. What's on your mind?"

Twilight hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "Everybody else knows..." Twilight moved to sit on the grass beside Sugarcoat, leaning her back against the tree. "There's this man who rides the bus I take home sometimes. I can't prove anything, and he hasn't done anything... but I swear he watches me all the time. It's kind of starting to freak me out."

"Have you told anyone else about this?"

"I told Indigo Zap earlier. She and the others spent most of the day trying to teach me to defend myself just in case, but it didn't work out at all. I feel completely helpless now..." She trailed off, then perked up slightly. "Hey, how do you defend yourself?"

"Stun gun." Sugarcoat's hand reached into her purse and she withdrew a small device with two barbs on the end. She pulled the trigger and an arc of electricity lit between them so strong it made Twilight's hair stand up on end. "It's efficient. And painful. The second part is a bonus."

"Maybe I should look into getting one of those." Twilight mused.

Sugarcoat slipped the weapon back into her purse. "Can I be honest with you?"

"Could I stop you?"

"No. As much as I encourage you to be self-sufficient in your own protection, you don't actually know what this guy's intentions are. Have you thought about simply asking him to stop staring at you?"

"I don't really want to talk to him at all. It could encourage him."

"Or it could resolve the problem without stress or violence." Sugarcoat looked out across the park, watching a couple holding hands walking slowly down the path. "I'm staring at those people right now. Am I dangerous to them?"

"Of course not." Twilight replied immediately.

"Why not?"

"Because..." Twilight paused for a moment. "Because I know you wouldn't hurt them." She sighed. "You're right. I really have been completely stupid about this."

"Mmhmm." Sugarcoat nodded. "Of course, if he does try anything, I'll be right there helping hold him down while you take a hammer to whatever body parts you deem necessary."

"That... doesn't sound as much like a joke as it should."

"I didn't say it was one. The point is, protecting yourself is great, but you aren't alone. The rest of us are here, and we've got your back too."

Twilight smiled and nodded happily. "Yeah, I guess I learned that today, if nothing else." She stood up and brushed the grass off the back of her skirt. The sun had dipped past the horizon now, grasping at the sky with its last tendrils of orange. "I should get home, dinner is going to be any minute now. I'll let you know how it went tomorrow."

"Take care of yourself, Twilight." Sugarcoat gave her a subdued smile before turning back toward the sun, tapping her pen on her pad.

Twilight turned to head back toward home again, marching along the sidewalk with a somewhat lighter step. Yeah, even if she hadn't learned better how to defend herself, at least she knew she had her friends right behind her ready and willing to help her out.

The next day, Twilight waited at the bus stop with her book stuffed in her bag. She had been dreading this moment all day, and her stomach felt like it was full of bricks. She had resolved to take Sugarcoat's advice, but she had no idea what might come after that. He could take her talking to him to mean she wanted to get to know him, he could follow her off the bus today. She clenched her bag a bit tighter at that. She had her mace inside it and the top unzipped just in case, but maybe Indigo Zap was right, maybe it wouldn't be enough...

She was ripped from her worries by the bus door opening for her, and the driver waving her on board with a kind smile. Twilight forced a wooden smile back as she climbed the steps inside, almost hoping this would be one of those days he wasn't there.

No such luck, there he was sitting in his normal seat. He seemed to be looking out the window, though she could see his eyes flitting towards her several times. She moved down the center of the aisle towards the back as normal, clutching her backpack to her chest. She passed him, moved several more rows, then stopped and took a deep breath. Sugarcoat was right, she had to do this. She couldn't take much more of this stress.

She took two steps back, her arms clutching her backpack tightly. "Excuse me." The man blinked in surprise and looked her straight in the eye. "I can't help but notice you keep looking at me... I'd like you to stop... please." She felt like her heart was pounding, though she tried to keep a strong face.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The man smiled apologetically. "Please forgive an old man's wandering eyes. I meant no offense. You just remind me of my own youth."

"I do?"

"Of course." The man cackled. "Scurrying back and forth with your head buried in a book, pretending nobody else is around. It's not easy being the kind of person who prefers fantasy worlds to the real one, is it?"

"I don't know about prefer..." Twilight blushed. "I've started to learn that the real world isn't so bad."

"Ah. Then you learned earlier than I did. Good, good." He chuckled and glanced at her chest, where the tip of her book was poking out the top of her unzipped bag. "Of course we didn't have Daring Do back then. For me it was Discord-"

"The Chaos Lord." Twilight beamed in recognition. "I grew up reading those books. I don't think they'll ever go out of style."

The man laughed heartily, slapping a hand on his knee. "I sure hope not. The day you're too old for a megalomaniacal being with infinite power playing tricks on the unsuspecting denizens of a fantasy universe is the day you've lost the will to live."

"You know, Discord The Chaos Lord once appeared in Daring Do."

"Did he now?" The man grinned through his beard.

The bus driver called from the front. "Everybody please be seated, we've got to get this bus moving."

Twilight glanced over in surprise. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..." Twilight glanced toward the back of the bus, then quickly slide into the seat beside the man and held out her hand. "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Starswirl." The man took her hand in a gentle grip. "It's a pleasure, young lady."

"Likewise. But yes, it actually lasted for several books..." Twilight carried on about Discord and Daring Do, their conversation spilling over into several series in several genres. All of Twilight's nerves seemed to melt away as the conversation carried on, and the bus rolled on towards Twilight's destination. It felt like it took less than half the time it usually did before they came to a stop and the driver called out for Twilight.

"Oh, gosh." Twilight blushed. "This is my stop. Listen... I'm really sorry, Starswirl."

"Sorry?" Starswirl asked incredulously. "Whatever for?"

"I spent all this time thinking you were... well... perving out over me. I thought you were terrible and I hated you... but I was totally wrong. I guess I let the world tell me what to expect before I even bothered asking for the truth."

"Well, the fault isn't entirely yours, a man my age shouldn't be staring at young ladies anymore." Starswirl nodded. "Apology accepted, and countered with one of my own. I'm sorry I've made you uncomfortable."

"Apology accepted." Twilight slid out of her seat and slung her backpack more comfortably over her shoulder. "I hope we can talk again tomorrow."

"I'll be here once again." Starswirl nodded with a friendly wave as Twilight turned to head up front, bidding goodbye to the driver before making her way out to the sidewalk behind a few other passengers.

Twilight Sparkle blinked in surprise when Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, Sunny Flare, and Sour Sweet all approached her at once from the grass.

"Did you do it?" Indigo asked. "Did you give that guy a piece of your mind?"

"Um..." Twilight blushed deeply. "Did you all come out here just to..."

Sunny Flare responded. "Sugarcoat told us you were going to confront him today. We thought we'd come make sure it went okay."

"We got worried when your bus was late." Lemon Zest echoed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, really, thank you..." Twilight beamed at her gathered group of friends. "I don't think I could possibly be better. I gave him a lot of my mind." Twilight moved past the girls with her hands clasped behind her back, smiling at them each in turn. "Come on, let's go to my place and I'll get you something to eat."

"I could use some eats." Lemon Zest hurried after her, with the rest following suit more slowly. Twilight couldn't help but smile. These days it seemed like more and more doors were opening up for her, with more and more friends. She just had to make sure to keep her head on the ground, and out of the internet, at least every once in a while.

( **To be Continue** )


	6. Sugarcoat's Laboratory

**A/N: Here's the last chapter of 'ShadowBolt Adventure', hope you leave me some review as long it's not positive. Also I'm gonna continue the story of the second installment of Equestria Girls known as 'Rainbow Rocks', For those who saw that fanfic in my profile please read it if you guys have time. Had fun reading my other stories, dudes! I'll start with this one. Oh…. I almost forgot….. uh nevermind!**

 **ShadowBolt Adventure: Chapter V: Sugarcoat's Laboratory**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

"You realize if Principal Cinch catches you here, she'll have a fit," Sugarcoat noted as she followed Twilight Sparkle through the hallways of Crystal Prep Academy. Their footsteps echoed through the empty hallways, with Twilight leading the way. "Not that I would mind seeing that. I enjoy seeing her suffer. But who knows what she'll do to you."

Twilight smiled over her shoulder. "Relax, I won't be here long, I just wanted to show you something." She led Sugarcoat through the rest of the school toward a secluded hallway on the far side of the building. They approached what looked like a door to an old janitor's closet, but when Twilight opened the door and stepped in, Sugarcoat could see electrical equipment stored in the dark, sparks and monitor light the only illumination in the darkness.

"What is this?" Sugarcoat gaped in awe as she stepped inside after her.

"When I first got here I couldn't stand spending my time out in the hallways and the library." Twilight ran a hand over the desk on her way to the computer, where she ran a hand over the keyboard almost affectionately. "I started spending all of my free time here in this unused janitor's closet."

Sugarcoat stared at her steadily. "You really hated it here." It wasn't a question.

Twilight hesitated only a moment before continuing. "When Dean Cadence found out, she agreed to let me convert it into my own personal laboratory, where I could devote myself to my studies... away from everyone else." Twilight turned back to her. "Of course, I don't need it anymore. I think it's a shame to let the space go to waste, though." Twilight approached Sugarcoat, looking her in the eyes. "I want to give it to you. As thanks for everything you've done for me. Besides, none of our other friends would appreciate a quiet study space as much as you and I."

"Twilight..." Sugarcoat moved past her, her eyes sliding over the broken-open electronics spread about the small desk, and the various papers and posters plastered all over the walls. She glanced down at the computer, which was displaying a picture of Twilight's dog, Spike.

Twilight walked up behind her. "The computer's pretty outdated, I have my good one at home, but it's still perfectly adequate for web searches. More than enough for research purposes."

"For once, I think I have no idea what to say." Sugarcoat turned back to Twilight with a soft smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Twilight smiled brightly. "Take care of it, will you? This has practically been my home for the last few years."

"I'll take care of it like my best friend." Sugarcoat nodded sincerely.

"Great." Twilight turned to head toward the door. "I'll let you get settled, then. Have fun!"

"I'll catch up with you later, Twilight." Sugarcoat waved after her, and once the door closed behind her, turned to appraise her new living space. Ah, the sweet taste of independence. Maybe it was just a small taste of it, but she had a feeling she could make pretty good use of this space.

Life at Crystal Prep Academy was getting busier with exams just around the corner. Two solid weeks of exams in every single subject were looming closer by the day. Students all over campus were crowding the library and the study halls after every class, and even after school, but Sugarcoat always found her way back to her own personal laboratory. The computer within became her window to everything she needed to know, searches including biology, history, and physics ended up in the temporary folders.

Sugarcoat stroked her chin and sat back in her swiveling chair, spinning around after a moment toward the small desk on her other side. She hefted her massive science book up into the desk and flipped it open to page 237, one hand reaching over to flip on a small table lamp she'd added to make things easier. It was stunning what a different atmosphere this room had compared to the rest of the school. The silence was broken only by the soft hum of the electronics in the room with her, as if nothing outside that door needed to exist.

Her concentration was broken when her phone rang out from her pocket, crying for attention. She whipped it out with one hand to see that she'd received a text message from Sour Sweet.

We know you're super busy with whatever you've been doing lately, and we hate to interrupt your super important business, but we're all standing out here in the parking lot like idiots waiting for you. GET OUT HERE!

Sugarcoat glanced back at the clock on the computer. She was almost half an hour late for their meet-up, she had been locked in her study lab for so long she completely lost track of time.

Her phone vanished back into her pocket and she slid from her seat, heading out the door and making sure to lock it behind her before making her way out front to join her friends out. They were all milling about the parking lot entrance, with bored looks all around. Well, almost everyone was. Twilight Sparkle wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Is Twilight not joining us tonight?" Sugarcoat asked as she approached.

"I love you too!" Sour Sweet waved enthusiastically. "And we love that you made us sit out here for half an hour doing nothing just to ignore that and ask about Twilight Sparkle!"

Sunny Flare made the vein in her forehead rescind with a hand on her shoulder before speaking, "Twilight's busy with her Canterlot friends tonight. It's just us."

"They probably have exams coming up, too." Indigo shrugged and jumped to her feet from her position on the sidewalk. "She'll be around when she can be."

Lemon Zest slipped her headphones down to her shoulders once she came out of her music trance enough to see that Sugarcoat had arrived. "Now that we're all here let's get going! Group dinner and a movie! Just what we need to take the stress out of exam time!"

Lemon danced ahead of the group as they made their way down the sidewalk away from the school. As they walked, Sunny Flare slipped through the crowd to keep pace with Sugarcoat.

"You've been staying after school a lot lately," Sunny stated.

"More than usual." Sugarcoat nodded.

"What's so interesting about it?"

"Twilight Sparkle left me her personal laboratory. It's actually been really helpful in my studies."

Sunny blinked in surprise. "She had a personal lab in the school? Sheesh, she really was Principal Cinch's favorite."

"She has an IQ of 165. Her presence in the school raised its reputation, and average grade curve, by several points." Sugarcoat shook her head. "The rest of us could only hope to be half as important to this school as she was while she was here."

"I didn't know that. Hm, you know, you're pretty smart, what's your IQ?"

"120." Sugarcoat shrugged. "Not exactly school-shaping."

"But still really good." Sunny punched her shoulder lightly. "Give yourself more credit than that. You don't have to be an award-winning super genius to be important."

"Of course not." Sugarcoat agreed. "I'm not trying to be the next Twilight Sparkle. That simply wouldn't be mathematically possible."

"And it's not that important either." Sunny winked, then glanced forward again. "Come on, Lemon's getting away from us!" She rushed ahead after their friend, who had replaced her headphones and was dancing her way out of range of the others.

Sugarcoat just shook her head and quickened her own pace. Sunny was right, of course. Just because she had access to Twilight's personal lab didn't mean she would suddenly be infused with her nearly superhuman intelligence. She would just have to settle for being relatively smart.

The shuffling of papers in the classroom was familiar, but oddly discomforting. Sugarcoat didn't really mind exams, she tended to do fairly well, but there was always the risk that she would find herself slipping that she found unnerving. As Mr. Fancy Pants sat down at his desk with the history papers, a routine that was long familiar with him, she found time to ponder what her grade might be. She had checked, double-checked, and triple-checked everything, but she was known to make mistakes. Especially in history, where she was a friend to the B's.

"You probably did better than me." Fleur De Lis whispered from the seat beside hers.

"I always do better than you." Sugarcoat whispered back in a simple, inoffensive tone.

"True, but you looked like you needed the encouragement." Fleur smirked under a long lock of flowing hair.

"Did I?" Sugarcoat raised one eyebrow.

"I can tell." Fleur nodded solemnly. "Is something bothering you, darling?"

"Of course not." Sugarcoat shook her head. "I'm just expecting the same kinds of grades I always get."

"Is that not good enough?"

"It's how it is." Sugarcoat met Fleur's gaze, then looked away after a few moments. The two girls sat in silence while they waited for Fancy Pants to, at last, stand and begin passing out the exams to each student, giving them all feedback, as was his way.

"Lightning Dust, brush up on your pre-industrial era. Fleet Foot, I hope you're still good at soccer." He went down the line with his usual brand of honesty until he reached Fleur De Lis. "Fleur, a wonderful effort, as always." He laid her test down in front of her, taking in her bright smile and blush before turning to Sugarcoat. "Sugarcoat, I must say I'm surprised. For someone who doesn't like history very much, you've shown marvelous improvement." He laid her test in front of her with a grand sweep of his arm. Her eyes widened when she saw a 91 written on top of the test. "Keep it up."

"Y-yes sir." Sugarcoat lifted her test from the desk, peering at the numbers as if trying to comprehend their meaning. It was an A. She had just gotten an A on a history exam. She never got A's in history.

"Good going. You must've been hitting the books extra hard lately." Fleur leaned over to whisper.

"Something like that..." Sugarcoat mused to herself.

Once class was done Sugarcoat rushed through the halls of the academy, her steps reverberating loudly against the polished walls until she reached her private lab and slipped inside, closing the door behind her.

With her A test clutched in her hands and made her way over to the computer desk and plopped down in the seat. She had been spending most of her study time here, in this room. That was the only thing she did differently from normal. Was there really something about this room that made the difference? Whatever it was, she could practically feel new opportunities opening up before her... she just had to reach out and take them.

Crunchy popcorn spilled all over Sour Sweet's carpet, but she didn't mind so much, for now. She was more concerned with the open algebra textbooks sitting in their laps, as she, Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap, and Sunny Flare set about comparing notes for the exams they hadn't yet passed. Sunny had a pretty good GPA, and a solid understanding of the material. The rest of them, however... well, Crystal Prep was about more than high grades in algebra.

"I think my head is spinning..." Indigo Zap put a hand to her head.

Sour Sweet cooed sympathetically. "Awwww, are you having a tough time figuring out the work? Put an ice pack on it and suck it up."

"I keep telling you it's not as complicated as you're making it." Sunny insisted. "You just have to take these numbers and-"

"Stop saying that word... eugh, numbers!" Indigo covered her head with both arms.

"Ugh, baby." Sour Sweet rolled her eyes and glanced over at Lemon Zest, who was lying on her stomach and kicking her feet idly in the air behind her as she flipped to the next page, occasionally stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "See? Look at Lemon. She's got the right idea. Relax and take it in."

"She's not taking anything in, she's just zoning out." Indigo crossed her arms over her chest with a huff.

"Yeah, right. You're doing good, Lemon." Sour encouraged her friend, though she didn't seem to be paying any attention to them. "Lemon Zest?" Sour Sweet crawled over to her and leaned down. She could hear the faint sound of music coming from her ear. Sticking her tongue out, Sour Sweet reached down to gently pluck the small earpiece out of place, leaving the music blasting throughout the room. "Lemon Zest!"

"Gah!" Lemon jumped in shock and climbed to her knees. "What!?"

"We're supposed to be working on this together!"

"I know, I know!" Lemon groaned and leaned back as if in agony. "I just needed a chill break!"

"Oh, just a break! Is that all you need? Well of course you can take a break while the rest of us toil on without you!"

"Okay, okay, I get it..." Lemon whined with a sigh. "It's not even like we're all here. Sugarcoat's supposed to be here too."

"Yeah, she's the one who knows this stuff the best," Indigo agreed. "She could probably explain it to us in detail."

Sunny Flare put her hands on her hips. "I've been trying to explain it to you."

"She could do it better."

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Relax, I'm sure she'll show up at some point tonight. She probably got caught up with something at school. She has been dealing with some stuff lately."

"Well I'm not sitting here waiting around to find out." Sour Sweet took out her cell phone and thumbed out a quick text message on the screen.

Hey Sugarcoat, are you coming or not? Our heads are already hurting here.

Sour Sweet waited for several minutes before growling. "She's not responding, ugh, I'm gonna go get us some refills." She moved to gather up all of their cups and lump them onto the tray she'd brought in at the beginning of the evening.

Lemon raised her hand. "I want some grape this time."

Sour Sweet made her way downstairs, tossing her phone to the counter carelessly as she set the tray on the counter and began refilling each cup one at a time. Her eyes were drawn to her phone when she heard the ringtone ring out through the kitchen. A quick glance at the screen showed that it was a response from Sugarcoat.

Sorry, busy with my studies in the lab tonight. I'll have to join you next time.

Sour Sweet smirked as she responded. You have a lab?

I do now.

Where is it?

I don't want to tell you.

Why not?

I'm afraid you'll kick my door down someday and trash it.

You know me too well.

It's a curse.

So while you're in the lab studying the rest of us are out here not in the lab trying to comprehend stuff you already know.

Probably.

And you're not going to come help us.

Not tonight.

You're a jerk.

I can be.

Fine, stay in your little lab. But next time come join us okay? We miss your brain and we miss you too.

Melodrama isn't helping your grades any.

Neither are you.

Touché.

Goodnight.

Sour Sweet shoved her phone into her pocket with a grunt and moved to finish filling up the drinks for her guests. Whatever, she thought to herself. Sugarcoat could take whatever time she wanted away from the group... she would come back eventually asking forgiveness.

Sugarcoat approached her teacher's desk the next day, her heart pounding in her chest. The next exam was over and done with, and another chance to see if all of her hard work over the night had paid off, or if she was just being uncharacteristically stupid and optimistic. The line of waiting students thinned out one by one until she finally approached Professor Kibitz behind the desk. He looked up at her with a steady, pleased smile.

"Ah, Miss Sugarcoat." He lifted her test in one hand. "I'm very pleased to see you taking more of an interest in psychology." He held the test up toward her as his smile widened. "Good work, I hope to see further improvements going forward.

Sugarcoat stared down at the exam in her hands, clenching it like a prized possession. She'd gotten a 95. A solid A in psychology. She almost never got A's in psychology. She just didn't have it in her to understand, or really even care, about the messed up thought processes of others. Yet here was the proof of her hypothesis staring her in the face. She had spent most of last night in her lab, shutting out the world outside and focusing on her studies... and it had paid off.

"Miss Sugarcoat?" Professor Kibitz asked curiously. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing at all. Things seem to be improving, actually." Sugarcoat turned to leave the classroom, keeping her eyes fixated on the exam until she emerged into the hallway.

"Hey, Sugarcoat!" Her eyes were finally drawn away as Sunny Flare approached from further down the hallway. "You look pretty pleased with yourself. Or hungry."

"A little of both." Sugarcoat stuck her exam paper in her bag and turned to move past Sunny. "Let's go get something to eat."

"Sounds good to me." Sunny fell into step beside her as they made their way through the hallways towards the cafeteria. The silence didn't last the whole way before Sunny spoke. "You know, everyone missed you last night."

"I gathered that from Sour Sweet's barrage."

"I missed you too. I know you like having that lab to yourself, but try not to forget about us."

"It's not even just a matter of liking it. It's actually raising my grades. I've taken several exams so far this week, and I've scored higher on both than my average in either subject."

"Really? That's awesome, Sugarcoat. Congratulations." Sunny Flare smiled. "It's hard to believe your grades can get that much higher."

"I'm a B student in multiple subjects."

"And an A in the rest." Sunny smirked. "I mean, don't get me wrong, that's great, but do you really think it has something to do with Twilight's lab?"

"I don't know what else it could be. It's the only variable that has changed."

"Maybe you're just trying harder lately."

"Nonsense." Sugarcoat huffed and adjusted her glasses on the end of her nose. "I always put everything I have into my education."

"Yeah, okay, I know you do." Sunny raised her hand defensively and fell into silence until they reached the cafeteria and made their way inside. Sunny didn't speak again until they were waiting in line for their food. "We're all meeting at my house tonight for another algebra jam session. We'd all like it if you'd come."

"I don't think so. I still have more exams of my own tomorrow to study for."

"Well yeah... but you're like a math whiz, even before Twilight's magic lab. We could sure use your help."

"We all have our own ways of studying, Sunny. You know I prefer to be able to focus on what I'm working on."

"Yeah, I know..." Sunny cleared her throat. "So we're going to see you more once exams are done with?"

"Of course. I'm not planning to go anywhere," Sugarcoat assured her with a soft smile.

Lunch began and ended, with the two girls splitting up to go their own ways immediately afterwards. As she walked through the hallway Sugarcoat found her eyes wandering, locking on the trophy case that stood near the front entrance hall. Twilight Sparkle's name glittered on every golden plaque and trophy, and probably would for years to come. She stopped to look over the trophies, peering at each one in turn. It would take someone truly exceptional to take those records from her...

Silently Sugarcoat turned away from the trophy case to make her way to her next class.

For days, Sugarcoat's lab became her home. The near darkness blanketed her existence, drowning out the world beyond the door, until all that was left was the knowledge she could soak in from the books and her studies on the computer behind her. The sun came and went, the teachers came and went, but still she remained in the darkness. Her grades across the board were seeing improvements over her last exams. An 83 became 90. 91 became 99. 93 became 100. On every test she managed to one-up herself, and this was just by devoting herself so entirely to her studies for two weeks. Imagine what she could do in the future.

Text messages came and went, flashing through the darkness like shooting stars in the night sky.

We're going to relax at the movies. You should come join us.

We're having another study jam at Indigo's place. There will be cupcakes.

We think you really need some time off, dude. We're hitting the ice-skating rink if you wanna join us.

Sugarcoat? Are you even there anymore? I just wanna say hi, I guess.

Her response was the same to each one. Not today. Every day on her way to her laboratory she passed the plaques in the hallway, and she could practically see her name engraved into each one. She would've never guessed they were so achievable, but she could see them in sight. The secret to Twilight Sparkle's successes had been revealed to her. All she had to do was reach out and use it.

On Friday, every exam for the two week marathon was finished except for one. Her algebra test was coming up tomorrow, along with everyone else's. Algebra, chemistry, and physics were her realms of expertise. She was no stranger to perfect scores in them, but she wasn't about to let up now. She had come so far already, she wasn't going to give it anything less than her best.

Her eyes scanned the book quickly in the low light of her desk lamp, her finger tracing the steps presented before her as the equations danced into order in her head like never before. Answers swam in front of her eyes even as she scanned the pages. It was almost surreal, but she didn't stop. She pressed onward, soaking in knowledge like never before.

Her eyes were drawn from the book only by the flashing of the screen on her phone, sitting on the desk beside her. Her hand snapped it off of the polished wood and lifted it to her eyes. It looked like a message from Sour Sweet.

We've had enough, Sugarcoat. GET YOUR BONY BUTT TO LEMON ZEST'S PLACE NOW!

Sugarcoat sighed in exasperation as she typed out a reply. Do you really have a problem with me studying?

It's a math test! We all know you don't need to study for it! But we do! And we need you!

Then I suppose you'd better stop bugging me and get to it.

BUGGING YOU? You punk, I have half a mind to come down there and get you!

Do you even know where my lab is?

That's not the point! I can find it!

And once you do?

That's not the point either!

You're all big girls, you can do your own studying.

We thought we would be able to count on our friend to help when we needed it!

Your friend is busy with her own studies right now.

Sugarcoat stared at her phone for a few minutes, but got no response. She thumbed out one more message, but no reply was coming. With a sigh and a shrug she dropped the phone to her desk again and turned back to her book. It was barely thirty minutes later when she heard footsteps approaching from the hallway.

They halted right outside the door, and there was a heavy thunk on the solid wood, and a yelp from outside. Followed by a second. On the third thunk she heard Sour Sweet's voice yelp, accompanied by the sound of a body hitting the floor. After a couple moments, more rapid bangs echoed through the small laboratory.

"Sugarcoat! Get out here!" Sour Sweet's voice was muffled slightly by the door.

"How did you find me?" Sugarcoat demanded.

"I texted Twilight for directions! Now open this door!"

"It's not locked." There was a moment of silence, after which Sour Sweet pushed the door open grandly and marched inside with her hands on her hips.

"We've had enough of this intellectual hermit act. You're coming to Lemon Zest's place tonight," Sour Sweet demanded.

"No I'm not."

"Yes, you are!"

"Am not."

"Are too!"

Sugarcoat sighed and rubbed her forehead with two fingers. "Are we really doing this?"

"You can stop it by coming with me."

"You just don't understand." Sugarcoat spun her chair away from her back towards the desk. "I think I finally understand how she did it."

"No, I don't understand." Sour Sweet approached the desk. "How who did what?"

"Twilight... she cultivated her vast intelligence through deprivation." Sugarcoat looked up at her friend again, with a look that made her take a step back. "By depriving her mind of all stimuli except for the books, it desperately soaked up all of the knowledge she could put into it. Razor focus, absolute concentration through the exclusion of all else..." She put her hands to her head. "I can feel my mind expanding! I think I really can be the next Twilight Sparkle at this school!"

"The next Twilight Sparkle? Is that really what you're after? Even Twilight Sparkle doesn't want to be the old Twilight Sparkle."

"Well it's possible to have a balance of course."

"Balance, of course! You've been a master of that! It's not like we haven't seen you outside of school in over a week!"

"It's just until exams are over."

Sour Sweet crossed her arms over her chest. "Is it? It's going to take a heck of a lot longer than that to take her place, isn't it?" Sugarcoat had no response to that. "You said that's what you're after, becoming the new Twilight Sparkle. Well congratulations, blowing us all off constantly puts you halfway there!"

"Ouch..." Sugarcoat put a hand to her chest. "That hurts..."

"Awwwww, did I hurt your feelings?" Sour Sweet cupped her hands together in front of her sympathetically. "Does the truth hurt your little heart? Well you know what the bigger truth is, Sugarcoat? If you don't come out of this closet you keep locking yourself in soon, you're going to be alone when you do come out!" Sour Sweet whirled away suddenly, marching to the door and slamming it behind her with a thunderous crash.

Sugarcoat stared at the door, feeling like she had just been slapped. The worst part of it all was, she was starting to feel like she might even deserve to be. She could see greatness sitting right in front of her, inches away. She had a clear path to it... but what would it end up costing her?

Could the cost be worth it?

Sour Sweet opened the door to Lemon Zest's place and marched inside, slamming the door behind her. Three other heads all whipped toward her at the booming sound, and all three took on disappointed expressions when they saw her alone.

"You couldn't get her to come out?" Lemon sighed. "Bummer."

"I told you, she just needs to deal with some things herself." Sunny Flare insisted. "You really shouldn't have bothered her. She'll come out when she's ready."

"If she's ever ready." Sour Sweet shrugged violently and marched over to plop down on the couch beside Lemon Zest. "She said something about following in Twilight Sparkle's footsteps or some crap. I think we've lost her to the dork side."

Indigo cackled. "Hahaha, dork side..." She cleared her throat when Sour Sweet glared at her. "Well whatever, right? It's her free time, and it's not like we're all joined at the hip."

Lemon shook her head. "No, but it would be nice to see her occasionally."

"It's nice to see you guys too." A voice from the front door pulled everyone's attention away from the television and toward Sugarcoat, who was standing in the open doorway.

"Sugarcoat!" Lemon leapt up from the couch excitedly. "You came!"

"I did... if I'm still invited." Sugarcoat's eyes drifted to Sour Sweet, whose expression remained hard, but softened quickly.

"Yeah, I guess you are. If you're gonna stop being stupid."

"I can only promise to do my best." Sugrcoat closed the door behind her and moved to join the girls around the TV, where their forgotten algebra books were opened to different pages lying scattered across the carpet.

Sunny grinned and slid down to the carpet beside her, plucking her algebra book off the floor. "So you're finished with your studying?"

"For the moment. I still think the lab will be good for me... in doses." Sugarcoat smoothed down her school uniform with both hands. "It gets lonely in there, though. The dork side has no cupcakes."

Indigo cackled again. "Dork side..."

"Well we've got plenty." Sunny assured her with a grin.

Sugarcoat cleared her throat. "Now tell me, what exactly has you all so stumped you need me to come teach a class to you?"

( **To be Continue** )

 **A/N: Please, enjoy some rest of the chapter! Because I'm gonna continue the second installment known as 'Rainbow Rocks', that second sequel of the first film was off the hook! I just wanted to know that this one was pretty awesome, same as the third sequel known as 'Friendship Games'. Hope you gals and guys enjoy the day, of the sunshine.**

 **-SkullCrusher550**

 **-Laters**

 **-Cheerio**


	7. I Crush You

**A/N: Hello, dudes and gals, this is SkullCrusher550. Welcome back to the story known as the 'ShadowBolt Adventure', I am doing the second installment of the film known as 'Rainbow Rocks'. Hope you guys leave me a review on the review section, that'll be appreciated. If someone need me, please leave me a PM. So that I will be in touch! Anyways, enjoy the story dudes including gals!**

 **ShadowBolt Adventure: Chapter VI: I Crush You**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

The barest hint of heat in the air, the smell of flowers drifting across campus on the gentle breeze, and the golden blanket of light that crept over the school set the perfect atmosphere for romance. It was one of the few things that could make Sour Sweet just stop and pay attention to the world around her. Or perhaps more accurately, stop and pay attention to the only boy who was capable of stopping her in her tracks.

Her footsteps slowed on the sidewalk approaching the school, her eyes drifting to watch him sit on the grass on the front lawn strumming an old acoustic guitar with one hand. His name was Braeburn, one of the strongest, kindest, handsomest boys in all of Crystal Prep Academy. She couldn't name a single girl who hadn't at least talked about getting together with him once.

"Give it up, Sour Sweet," Sunny Flare's voice warned from behind her head. "We've talked about this."

"Mngh, it's just not fair." Sour Sweet clenched her fists, punching at the air in frustration. "The one guy in this school who seems decent and he's already taken!"

"Yeah, that about sums it up." Sunny Flare smirked with her hands clenched behind her back. "I don't know about the 'only decent guy' thing, though. Blueblood isn't bad... looking..."

"Ugh." Sour Sweet rolled her eyes. "Don't mention that jerkwad to me." She stopped in her tracks to stare across the lawn at Braeburn, who remained oblivious to her. As she watched, a beautiful girl with deep, auburn hair and a bright smile approached him. She moved with the grace of a professional dancer, and the laugh that echoed over to them could have come from an angel playing with a crowd of happy schoolchildren and newborn puppies.

Sour Sweet's fists clenched as her voice lowered to a growl. "Little Strongheart..."

Sunny Flare watched them kiss as she settled onto the grass beside him. "They sure do seem into each other."

Sour Sweet punched her fist into her palm with a quick nod. "I've had enough of this! I'm gonna ask him out!"

"Darnit..." Sunny Flare slapped a hand to her forehead. "I was afraid this was coming. You know there's a special cage in Tartarus for relationship wreckers, right?"

"Relax! If he goes for me he obviously didn't like her that much, right? So, no harm no foul!"

"Even if that wasn't a horrible fallacy, I'm not sure it applies to this."

"It'll be fine! There's no harm in asking. That's not a horrible fallacy, is it?"

"Well... no, I guess it's not."

"That settles it, then!" Sour Sweet pumped her arms in front of her. "I am going to date Braeburn if it's the last thing he does! I just need to wait for my chance!" She whirled to rush toward the school.

"I'll be here when you're done being crazy for the day!" Sunny Flare called after her through cupped hands.

The hallways of Crystal Prep Academy were always pretty quiet. A majority of its students preferred to keep to themselves, or wander the hallways in small groups. So Sour Sweet knew how to be completely silent as she crept her way up behind an open locker, and struck up a sultry position with her back against the one beside it. When the door closed, Braeburn's eyes locked onto her, obviously somewhere between shock and intrigue.

"Sour Sweet?" Braeburn blinked in shock. "I mean... howdy. Are you lost?"

"Nope. I'm right where I wanna be." Sour Sweet winked and pushed off from the locker. "You know I see you doing so much throughout the day, you must be reeeaaaally tired sometimes."

"Well, yeah, I s'pose." Braeburn rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "A good workout will make anybody a little tuckered out."

"You really need somebody who'll... relax you." Sour Sweet grinned her most sappy sweet grin. "Here, I even brought a pillow, so you don't have to strain those mighty neck muscles." She pulled out a soft travel pillow from behind her back.

"A pillow? I don't-oh, uh..." Braeburn was cut off as she moved behind him and pressed the pillow against the back of his neck. "Thanks...?"

"You're welcome. Oh you're so tall, that neck must get super tired holding up that handsome head."

"Maybe...?" Braeburn coughed into one hand.

"And maybe you could rest it-" Sour Sweet's voice trailed off when she felt gentle hands on her shoulders. Almost of its own volition her body let the hands guide her back away from Braeburn, turn her down the hall, and send her walking away from the boy. She was halfway down the hallway before she looked back to see that Little Strongheart had joined him, both of them now completely ignoring her.

"How in the..." Sour Sweet ripped the pillow in half in her fists, sending stuffing flying across the hallway. "This isn't over!"

Sour Sweet was leaning against a locker as Braeburn passed. "Hey Braeburn, you wanna go out with me some time?"

"Thank ya kindly, but no." Braeburn tipped his hat to her as he passed.

Curses, foiled again!

The lunchroom was full of murmuring and laughing students, though Sour Sweet's attention remained on two in particular, who were sitting in the far corner of the room at a small table by themselves. Braeburn and Little Strongheart kept talking in hushed voices, making sickening googly eyes and cute faces at one-another.

Sour Sweet only looked away to stare down at the table, quickly scribble a message on a sheet of paper, then carefully fold it against the solid wood until it compiled neatly into a paper airplane, complete with a tiny rudder she made sure was perfectly aligned for stable flight. She turned toward the couple, stuck her tongue out, then let it fly. The plane whizzed right by their heads while Braeburn was looking down, but Little Strongheart watched it pass, then gave Sour Sweet a sharp glare.

Sour Sweet just wrote another note, folded another plane, and sent it flying. This time Little Strongheart slapped it out of the air before it could reach him, giving Sour Sweet a dainty smile in return. The next plane was caught in one hand and chucked back, forcing Sour Sweet to duck out of the way or be hit in the forehead.

When she didn't grab another sheet of paper immediately, Little Strongheart turned back to her oblivious boyfriend. After a couple of minutes, however, a small stream of paper airplanes pelted her in the back of the head. She ducked in surprise and the remaining planes flew right over her head. A confused Braeburn finally looked over to see what was going on, and caught a plane right in each eye.

"AAAAUGH!" Braeburn howled and collapsed to the floor in a heap, his hands clutching his eyes in pain. Sour Sweet's heart stopped for several moments before she leapt from her seat to run from the cafeteria.

"Indirect approach..." Sour Sweet strolled casually down the hallway with picture clenched in her hands. Her eyes darted back and forth up and down the hallway, making sure it was empty before she quickly wrenched Braeburn's locker open. A wicked grin lit up her lips as she slipped the picture into the first textbook she could find, a history book, and slammed the door again. Her mission accomplished, she turned to march down the hallway. "Let's see if you can resist me after seeing that..."

She casually stepped out of the hallway when she saw Braeburn approaching, moving toward his locker as he spoke energetically with his companion. "I'm tellin' you it's no problem at all, Sassy." He approached his locker and pulled out his history textbook, holding it out to her. "Here you go, I think I've got all my chickens in a row on the subject."

"Thanks, I really owe you one." Sassy Saddles took the book from him with a wide smile. Sour Sweet clenched her teeth. "Come on, let's get to the cafeteria and we can do a little cramming together before our next class?"

"That sounds like a fine idea." Braeburn moved down the hall beside Sassy. Sour Sweet continued to swear at herself under her breath. That picture was for his eyes only!

When they neared her hiding spot, Sour Sweet suddenly leapt from the doorway, shoulder-tackling Sassy Saddles into the far row of lockers and clutching the textbook against her chest with both arms as she took off down the hallway.

"Sour Sweet! That's my book!" Braeburn called after her furiously.

"Sorry! I'm super interested in BaconHam Linkin'!" Sour Sweet shouted back just before rounding the far corner out of sight.

Sunny Flare opened her locker with a swing of one hand and slipped her books into place absently. She was glad school was over for the day, she had been keeping an eye on Sour Sweet's progress, and she was really starting to worry. These manic freakouts weren't entirely unusual for her, but they usually didn't involve stalking and harassing other students. Maybe now that school was ending she would go back to normal.

She looked up in surprise, along with every other student, when the school's P.A. system crackled to life, and Dean Cadence's voice echoed across the hallways. "Stop this! You can't just-" Her voice faded into crackles again.

The crackles faded into Sour Sweet's voice this time. "Get off of me! I gotta say it and you can't stop me! I-ow!" The sound of a roll of papers smacking something echoed down the hallways.

"Get away from-" The system went dark again.

Sunny Flare just stared at the nearest speaker in shock. This was even worse than usual.

Without warning Sour Sweet's voice echoed through the hallway one more time. "-out with me, meet me at-GAK-!" The P.A. system shut off again.

Sunny bit her lip. She was going to get herself hurt at this rate...

It was getting late in the day, long after school had ended. The sun was drifting toward the horizon, casting its glow across the large park filled with lush green vegetation. In its center sat Braeburn and Little Strongheart, on a picnic blanket with a wicker basket forgotten on the grass beside them. The girl was leaning contentedly against his powerful chest, her hands idly stroking the back of one of many cute, chirping birds that were standing on her legs, singing a soft, calming tune along with her golden, flutelike voice.

In the bushes not far behind them sat Sour Sweet, fuming and cursing to herself as she watched his hand stroke her smooth, slender arm. A whole day's effort had been wasted, and worst of all, she wasn't even close to fulfilling her declaration. She wasn't a quitter, she had never quit at anything in her life, and she wasn't about to start now!

After a deep, steadying breath, she marched out of the bushes toward the couple. "Little Strongheart!" The two lovebirds looked back at her in surprise. "I challenge you for Braeburn! Winner takes boyfriend!"

Braeburn scratched his head confusedly. "What am I, a pair of shoes?"

Little Strongheart just stared at her for a moment, then slowly began rising to her feet. The birds took flight, flapping their tiny wings powerfully against the air to get away from her as she stood. One of her hands snapped behind her, whipping a tomahawk from the back of her belt and swinging it expertly between her fingers on its way into position clenched in her right fist. Sour Sweet's eyes bolted from the shimmering blade of the weapon to Little Strongheart's eyes, which were sharply narrowed.

Twilight Sparkle sat at the top of the highest hill in the park, sipping at her tea after a deep breath to take in its scent. "Mmmh, it really is lovely out here Sugarcoat, thank you for inviting me."

"You're welcome. It's a pretty nice evening." Sugarcoat sipped her own tea, with her mug cupped daintily in both hands. Her eyes opened wide, and Twilight Sparkle nearly jumped out of her skin, when they both heard a high-pitched scream from further down the hill in the park. In the distance they could see a figure that looked like Sour Sweet charging across the grass at full speed.

Twilight adjusted her glasses. "Is that Sour Sweet running for her life from an axe-wielding maniac?"

"Looks like it."

"Should we help her?" Twilight cupped her hands worriedly in front of her as she watched Sour Sweet duck behind a tree, peering out from behind it at the approaching girl, who Twilight finally recognized as Little Strongheart. Little Strongheart swung the tomahawk as hard as she could, its blade biting deep into the trunk of the tree between them and sending a spray of bark across both girls. Sour Sweet took the opportunity to bolt from cover while Little Strongheart struggled to pull her weapon free.

"Nah."

"Isn't that what a friend would do?"

"Do you want to get between them?"

Twilight looked down again, just in time to see Little Strongheart hurl the tomahawk with a wide overhead swing. It missed its mark and embedded itself into the dirt, though this didn't slow down Sour Sweet one bit as she ran for the bathrooms in the eastern side of the park with all her strength.

"N-not really..."

"Sour Sweet will be fine," Sugarcoat said with one more dainty sip of her tea. "She's crafty."

Sour Sweet leaned against a bathroom stall door, her heart pounding in her chest the only sound she could hear until the footsteps followed her in. Sour Sweet gulped, seeing her life flashing before her eyes. It was a short life, but a good one, all in all. Especially that time in pre-school grade when her parents let her bring her big-wheel to school. So many burnouts on the pavement, laughing as her wheels ran over other students...

"Little Strongheart, so good to see you." Her flashbacks ceased when she heard Sunny Flare speak from outside the bathroom stall.

"Oh, hello Sunny." Little Strongheart's voice was light and amicable, all of a sudden. "How is your day going, today?"

"You know, same old same old. How about you?"

"Just teaching lessons."

"Important ones, I'm sure. I think I can take it from here, though."

"Okay, thank you. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Later!" Sunny Flare went silent until a pair of footsteps disappeared into the distance. "You can come out now, Sour Sweet." The hiding girl hesitated a moment before opening the stall door with a sigh, walking out with her shoulders slumped. "Are you finished?"

"Yeah, I'm done..." Sour Sweet rubbed her forehead with one hand. "None of today went how I planned at all."

"The best laid plans of mice and men, as they say. And girls, of course." Sunny Flare moved closer to slip a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Glad to see you back to your normal self again. Did you learn anything today?"

"Yeah, don't %$# with Little Strongheart! She has an axe!"

"Close enough." Sunny turned to guide her friend out of the bathroom and into the park. "You look tired. I'll walk you home."

"Thanks Sunny... and I'm sorry I kind of went crazy." Sour Sweet blushed and cupped her hands in front of her. "Sometimes my brain gets away from me."

"Don't worry about it. That's just part of your Sour Sweetness." Sunny squeezed her shoulders comfortingly with one arm and turned to lead her toward home. Sour Sweet felt herself relax for the first time since she got to school, leaning a bit against her friend. Now that her euphoria was wearing off, she decided it really wasn't worth the effort anyway. If he chose Little Strongheart over her, he didn't like her enough to consider going out with.

Now if only her brain worked well enough to figure that out sooner...

( **To be Continue** )


	8. A New Sunset

**A/N: Hello, guys and gals, welcome back to another chapter of 'ShadowBolt Adventure'. Hope you will leave me some positive review, from the review section. If I posted the second chapter of 'Rainbow Rocks', it is agreeable that you leave it some positive reviews also 'follow and favorite' that fic if you dudes including gals have time to read. Anywho enjoy!**

 **ShadowBolt Adventure: Chapter VII: A New Sunset**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

The Crystal Prep Academy lunchroom was pretty loud today, but Indigo Zap didn't really mind. She liked it loud; it meant the place was full of energy, and the opposite of boring. It helped that she had Lemon Zest standing beside her, with one hand on her headphones, her head rocking out to the tunes Indigo could hear from all the way out here. Even standing here in the line waiting to pick up their trays of partially edible lunch, the girl knew how to liven the place up.

Indigo Zap raised one hand to lift the other side of Lemon's headphones away from her ear. "What are you listening to?"

"Metal-Licker! Just one of the best metal bands in history!" Lemon shouted over the sound of her music and the cafeteria.

"Yeah? Let me be the judge of that!" Indigo shouted back. Lemon plucked the headphones from her head and passed them over, letting Indigo slip them on, the music blaring against her eardrums.

"I drink a lot, and life sucks! My alcohol is why I'm such a useless toooool! I'm a foooooooooooool!"

"Isn't that hardcore!?" Lemon grinned.

"Sounds like whining to me." Indigo took off the headphones and passed them back. "You can have it, I'll stick with Olive Day."

"Your loss, dude!" Lemon slipped the headphones back on and immediately started headbanging again. "Wooo! Rock on!"

Indigo rolled her eyes and turned forward again, but she realized immediately that the girl standing in front of her wasn't the girl who was there earlier. Of course, the student body here was the worst. They would take any opportunity to cut in line, the selfish jerkwads. Not that she was much better... but she was getting better. In fact, now that she was paying more attention, she'd never seen this girl in Crystal Prep before... though she looked oddly familiar from behind.

"Hey, you there." Indigo Zap reached out to tap her roughly on the shoulder with two fingers.

The girl looked back with a sharp look on a face so familiar it made Indigo take a step back. Of course, now she recognized her... that wasn't an expression she'd seen on her before, though.

"Sunset Shimmer? What are you doing here?"

Sunset raised one eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest. "Yeah, that's my name. I just transferred in today. Who are you, exactly?"

Indigo was speechless for a few moments before finally finding her tongue. "Indigo Zap. Don't you recognize me? From the Friendship Games?"

"Sorry, I'm not that kind of girl." Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes and turned away.

Indigo balked for a few moments, then tapped her shoulder again. "Excuse me, Sunset Shimmer, but I'm pretty sure you weren't in front of me just a few seconds ago."

"No, I wasn't." Sunset turned fully back toward her. "Are you going to do something about it?"

"The back of the line is over there." Indigo pointed.

"Yeah, it is." Sunset shooed at her with one hand. "Feel free to go back there if you're so fascinated with it."

Indigo stepped closer, narrowing her eyes. "I don't know what your problem is, but you're not cutting in line."

"Try to stop me. I dare you." Sunset Shimmer glared back over her folded arms.

Indigo hesitated again. She wasn't about to get physical over something so silly, but just letting this girl walk all over her wasn't an appealing option either.

"Uh, hey, the line is getting ahead of us guys." Lemon pointed ahead of them, clearly oblivious to the situation with her headphones blaring in her ears. "Come on!" She moved to rush past the two of them and catch up with the line, but Sunset's arm snapped out, grabbing her by the front of her uniform.

"Hey, I didn't say you could go ahead." Sunset snarled.

"Don't you touch her!" Indigo shoved Sunset back roughly away from Lemon Zest, knocking her grip free. Sunset Shimmer rebounded immediately and shoved Indigo back with both hands. Indigo stumbled back a step, then moved forward again, until the two of them were nearly chest-to-chest, glaring into each others' eyes. The normal noise of the lunchroom quieted somewhat at the sound of the commotion, but the two girls paid it no mind.

"I don't know what your problem is, but keep your hands off my friends," Indigo Zap warned darkly.

"Keep yourself and your friends out of my way," Sunset countered with a dangerous glint in her eye.

"This school doesn't belong to you."

"I guess someone who isn't very smart would probably think that." Sunset Shimmer grew a crooked smile. "Take a swing and find out. Please."

When Indigo didn't respond, Sunset's smile grew into a grin. "That's what I thought." She raised one hand and patted the shorter girl's head like a dog. "Even someone so simple and unintelligent is capable of learning, eventually." She stepped away from Indigo and turned to catch up with the rest of the line, which made her next for her meal.

Her blood boiling, Indigo Zap whirled away from the girl and marched out of line, heading for the exit.

Lemon Zest gasped and rushed after her, with her headphones now circling her neck on her shoulders. "Indigo? Where are you going? We haven't eaten!"

"I'm not hungry!" Indigo shouted back louder than she intended as she shoved the doors open and marched out of the cafeteria, her knuckles slamming into the first locker across the hall with a thunderous crash that rang out down the hallway.

Lemon squeaked and rushed up to her, cradling Indigo's hand in hers. "Hey! You're gonna hurt yourself!"

"I'm fine." Indigo involuntarily winced as Lemon touched her knuckles, which were already beginning to swell from the impact.

"Come on, we should get it under some water." Lemon pulled Indigo down the hallway by the hand, tugging on her to get her moving despite her protests. She found herself dragged into the nearest girl's bathroom, where Lemon turned on one of the faucets and stuck Indigo's hand under the cold water, holding it there with one hand on her wrist.

"Thanks..." Indigo winced at the touch of the water at first, then relaxed.

"What happened back there? She looked a lot like Sunset Shimmer."

"It was Sunset Shimmer." Indigo clenched her fist again. "I don't know what happened, she just cut in line and started trash-talking."

"But Sunset Shimmer goes to CHS, and isn't a total jerk."

"I know!" Indigo shouted, then paused and took a few deep breaths to calm down before speaking again. "I know, something weird is going on. I'll give Twilight a call, see if anything has changed on her end." She reached into her pocket with her free hand and pulled out her phone, speaking into it. "Twilight Sparkle." She held the phone to her ear as the phone dialed itself, waiting for the familiar click.

"Hello?" Twilight's voice came through the speaker.

"Twilight, it's Indigo Zap. You haven't seen Sunset Shimmer today, have you?"

"Sunset Shimmer? Sure, we're eating together right now. Did you need to talk to her?"

Indigo Zap fell silent, her brain whirling to understand this. Twilight Sparkle had told them about where Sunset came from, along with all of the freaky magic that had taken place that night, and even about her encounter with her own other-self.

"I just had a run-in with Sunset Shimmer here in Crystal Prep. Let's just say she's not the pony yours is."

"Sunset Shimmer? There in CPA?" Twilight repeated in surprise.

There was unintelligible speaking for a few moments before Sunset Shimmer's voice came over the phone. "Tell me everything." After Indigo Zap finished the story of her run-in, Sunset Shimmer was silent for a few more moments before speaking. "Well, that sure sounds like me from a few years back. Guess she hasn't learned better."

"So you're saying this Sunset Shimmer is the you from this world?" Indigo guessed. "How do we get you to mellow out?"

"I don't know, it took a magic explosion to make me stop being terrible."

"Well can you come tell her not to be a huge jerk or something?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. How would you take it if another Indigo Zap just walked up, called you a jerk, and told you to stop it?"

"Um... okay, fair enough." Indigo Zap looked up at the ceiling as Dean Cadence's voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Indigo Zap, please report to the principal's office."

"Uh-oh..." Lemon muttered under her breath, pausing in her effort to wrap Indigo's injured hand in a white bandage.

Indigo looked down at Lemon as she spoke. "I've got to run, I'll keep in touch." She slipped the phone into her pocket.

Lemon finished wrapping Indigo's arm, holding it tightly in both of hers. "You gonna be okay? Want me to come with?"

"It'll be fine, I'll catch up with you after school and let you know what's going on." Indigo patted Lemon's hand with a smile. "Thanks for the help."

"What else are friends for?" Lemon replied with a bright smile.

After bidding farewell, Indigo Zap made her way down the halls. The other students largely ignored her, as was the way for most of Crystal Prep Academy, though she got a few snickers as she neared the Principal's office on the second floor. She approached the door with confidence, keeping her back straight as she approached and pushed the door open.

The first thing she saw in the darkness was a mop of red and yellow hair turned away from her, standing beside the chair behind the large wooden desk. Sunset Shimmer turned to look back at her once the light from the hallway spilled in, a sharp grin crossing her features.

"Do have a seat, Indigo Zap." Principal Cinch's hand waved from behind the back of the swiveling chair. Indigo closed the door behind her, approaching the small wooden barstool in front of the desk and taking a seat. She waited silently for the principal to turn her chair around to face her, leaning back casually against her own padded office chair. "I understand you had an altercation with Crystal Prep's newest student."

"It was nothing." Indigo Zap's eyes shot to Sunset's.

"That wasn't what it sounded like." Principal Cinch tapped her fingers together in front of her chin. "You know physical violence has no place in an institution of learning. Apologize to Sunset Shimmer, and your transgression may be overlooked."

"Apologize?" Indigo's gaze snapped to Principal Cinch in shock. "She cut in line! She threatened me! She put her hand on my friend! And she-"

"She has a perfect grade-point average, an IQ of 160, and her very presence in this school will help us regain some of the reputation we lost after a certain group of students damaged our reputation at the hands of Canterlot High in a tie." Principal Cinch leaned forward over her desk, resting her elbows on the wood and her chin on her hands. "So, Indigo Zap... do you have something to say to Sunset Shimmer?"

Her blood was boiling again, but she refused to let herself lose control. She wouldn't give Sunset Shimmer the satisfaction of getting under her skin like that. Though when she spoke, it was through heavily clenched teeth. "I'm sorry, Sunset Shimmer."

"It's fine." Sunset shrugged casually. "As long as we understand each other."

"Now I don't want to hear about this again." Principal Cinch leaned back in her seat, her expression relaxing. "Our zero tolerance policy towards violence is for your own protection as much as hers, you see."

"Yes ma'am." Indigo Zap spat the words like she'd just tasted the world's worst soft drink.

"Go, your next class will be starting soon." Principal Cinch waved her away.

Indigo Zap was glad to oblige, whirling off of the stool and marching out the door, though she wasn't so crazy as to slam it behind her. She stood outside the door, trying to stop the world from spinning and bring it back from that lovely shade of red before finally moving towards the staircase down to the front lobby.

Before she reached the stairs she heard the Principal's office door close behind her, and a pair of booted footsteps approaching from behind. Indigo turned at the top of the stairs to watch Sunset Shimmer approach, who had a cocky smirk of victory on her lips.

"I know comprehension probably isn't your strong suit..." Sunset folded her arms as she approached, stopping beside her. "So let me make it as obvious as possible. Mess with me again and you're out of this school permanently."

Indigo held back what she really wanted to say. "Yeah, I got it..."

"Good." Sunset raised one finger to press it against the top of Indigo's chest. "I'll be seeing you around, Indigo Zap." Her finger pushed against her, guiding Indigo easily to one side so Sunset could move past her, heading down the stairs first. It would be so easy to just put a shoe in the back of her head right now... but that could lead to being expelled, if not actually arrested. No, she had to play it cool the rest of the day, and when she left...

That punching bag barely knew what hit it. Indigo Zap's fists railed hard on the rickety bag she had set up in her garage, which stood open while her gathered friends all watched with worried expressions on their faces, and even the Canterlot High Sunset Shimmer had taken the bus out to lend her support.

Her chest was heaving by the time she finished, her hands drooping inside of her boxing gloves as her shoulders slumped. She looked up and gave her friends a tired, but satisfied smile. "Sorry, just had to get that out of my system," Indigo stated.

"Well, it's good to release your aggression." Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses on her nose. "I just can't believe it. Do you think Principal Cinch actually knew what Sunset Shimmer was like when she brought her into the school?"

"Principal Cinch has had it out for us five ever since we turned on her at the Friendship Games," Sugarcoat pointed out simply. "She blames us personally for the resulting loss of reputation the school suffered."

"We all have to tread really lightly around there now, she'll take any excuse to expel the lot of us." Sunny Flare added, turning to face Indigo. "You're really lucky this happened in a crowded lunchroom full of witnesses. She couldn't expel you without also expelling her."

"But her message was pretty clear." Sunset Shimmer shook her head, leaning against the wall right beside the garage door. "She might be targeting you guys."

"Or we're totally overreacting," Lemon suggested with a hopeful smile. "It was all a big coincidence, and we can just ignore her, while she ignores us."

"So she just happened to cut in line in front of us? You know, instead of going right to the front?" Indigo shook her head. "I don't buy that."

"I'm with Indigo Zap." Sunset Shimmer pushed off from the wall, out into the center of the circle of friends. "She won't do anything randomly. When she acts, it's going to be for a reason. And if she is getting cozy with Principal Cinch, she could be looking to goad you into giving them an excuse to get rid of you. It would put her in good standing with the principal, give her more power in the school, and as a bonus, eliminate some of her toughest academic competition."

Sugarcoat raised her eyebrow. "How do you know she would do that?"

Sunset folded her arms over her chest, speaking more softly. "Because it's exactly the kind of thing I would have done."

"Well isn't that just marvelous?" Sour Sweet sang in a bright tone. "That's exactly what we all needed to deal with! School sponsored harassment!"

Sunny Flare interjected, "if that's the case, all we have to do is convince her it won't work. Ignore her, don't respond, don't fight back. Eventually she'll have to get the message and look for some other way to get on the principal's good side."

"I think that's going to be easier said than done." Indigo Zap huffed. "She did a pretty good job of ticking me off. It's like it's natural for her. Er... no offense."

Sunset Shimmer smirked back. "Oh believe me, I'm great at ticking people off when I want to."

Sugarcoat continued Sunny's thought. "We don't have any other choice. Fighting back will only make it worse. For now let's just all promise to keep our heads no matter what happens. That goes double for you, Indigo, since she has already targeted you."

"Yeah, yeah, I've got it." Indigo sighed.

"I don't know what I can do, but you have my support too. I'll leave you guys my number in case you need me." Sunset Shimmer took a small card out of her pocket, jotted something down onto it, and handed it to Indigo Zap. "Just let me know if you think I can do anything. I know she's not really me, but I still feel somehow responsible for this. As if my very existence as a person is allowing this to happen."

"Thanks, but we don't blame you, Sunset Shimmer." Sunny Flare smiled.

"I might blame her a little," Sour Sweet growled under her breath.

Sunset Shimmer glanced out the garage door toward the sky. "Well, it's getting late, and the last bus back to Canterlot is going to be leaving soon. Good luck dealing with your problem, girls. Make sure you call me if you need me."

"Later," Indigo Zap waved after her as the other girls echoed their own goodbyes. They were on their own again... oh well. It was just one sad, pathetic girl making sad, pathetic attempts to annoy them into submission. How bad could it get anyway?

It wasn't bad at all, at first. A quip here, a glare there. Sunset Shimmer seemed to make a point to cut in the lunch line every single day, too. At first Indigo Zap was happy to laugh it off and let her make a fool of herself, but the more time went on, the less funny it became. Her quips were hollow and meaningless, but seemingly neverending. Her cutting in line was a meaningless gesture of superiority that didn't hurt Indigo, really, but day after day she got more and more sick of it. She felt like she was just being walked on, which she was.

The others reported similar treatment, but none as bad as Indigo got. It seemed she decided Indigo was the weak link in their group, but she wasn't about to let her be proven right. She redoubled her effort to resist the stupidity, and let Sunset Shimmer poke and prod at her patience all she wanted. Indigo Zap was a wall, untouchable and unmoving.

At least, she wanted to be. After some time of this she found herself sitting in her living room, surrounded by all of her friends, and yet unable to muster up the energy to do anything. They all sat like a bunch of potatoes around the room. Indigo draped across her cushy recliner, Lemon kicking her legs over the top of her sofa with her head dangling off the bottom, Sunny sitting beside her with a hand on her chin, Sugarcoat sitting cross-legged on the carpet in front of them, and Sour Sweet pacing back and forth behind the couch.

"So..." Lemon Zest's legs kicked idly at the air above her, heedless of how useless her skirt was upside down. "What do you guys wanna do?"

"Nothing." Indigo Zap grumped. "I feel like crawling into bed."

"I take it everybody else ran into Sunset Shimmer today, too?" Sugarcoat commented. The silence was all the answer she needed. "We're letting her win, you know. She's wearing us down, little by little. She's winning the psychological war."

"Maybe I'm just not in the mood to do anything! It doesn't mean she's getting to me! She's not getting to me! You're stupid!" Indigo Zap snapped. The instant she stopped speaking the stares she got told her how lame she sounded. "Alright, alright, maybe she is getting to me... just a little."

"I hate her!" Sour Sweet pumped her fists into the air in front of her. "Her voice is so nice and light and she carries herself like a supermodel, but all she says is stupid bullcrap that makes me want to strangle a tiger!"

Lemon gasped. "What did a tiger do to you?"

"It looks like her hair!"

Indigo sat up straight in her chair. "I'm ignoring her every single day, but she's not giving up! She just keeps jabbing and jabbing and jabbing! If I have to take much more I might explode!"

"And that's exactly what she wants," Sugarcoat warned her. "Lay a finger on her and you'll never set foot in Crystal Prep Academy again."

"I know!" Indigo leapt to her feet and marched around behind her chair, punching the back as she passed. "But there's got to be something we can do! Anything!"

"There's not always an easy answer," Sunny reminded her firmly. "Maybe something will give, but for now all we can do is just not give up. They're only words, after all. She can't hurt us with words."

"Yeah, whatever!" Indigo waved her off and turned to march back to her room. "I'm tired of being told to take those words without fighting back! I'm sick of this!" She slammed her bedroom door behind her, leaving her friends out in the living room. She approached the bed and slammed her fist into the pillow moments before slamming her face into it, her body collapsing to the mattress in a heap of limp flesh and cloth.

It felt like all of the energy drained from her body. Twilight was right, it was good to get out her aggression... but she felt bad for yelling at her friends, and that only threatened to make her angry again. She rolled to her back on the mattress, staring at the ceiling for a short time before plunging her hand into her pocket and pulling out her cell phone, bringing up a text message to the Sunset Shimmer who wasn't a complete pain in the butt.

 _I hate you._

 _I choose not to take that personally._

 _Ugh, why do you have to be so good at being bad? I almost wish she would just punch me in the face, at least I know how to respond to that._

 _She wouldn't do that. I can tell just by looking at you that you would cream me in a fight._

 _I would?_

 _One hundred percent. Fighting isn't my thing, and I'm guessing it's not hers either._

 _You didn't look weak to me, and neither does she._

 _That's the idea. Look strong, keep a strong image, make people think you have power, that you're in control. You'd be surprised how much authority comes from attitude._

 _You could teach Sour Sweet a thing or two about attitude._

 _I try not to do it too much these days, but I guess old habits die hard. Anyway, the point is she won't fight you._

 _And if I fought her, I would be playing right into her hands and getting myself expelled._

 _That's the plan as far as I can figure it._

 _So what do I do? Please tell me what to do. I can't take doing nothing anymore._

 _Indigo, sometimes doing nothing is just the best thing you can do._

 _Please, Sunset Shimmer. I need to be able to do something. Give me a hint. Give me anything I can use against her. I'm begging you._

 _There was a long pause, during which Indigo was afraid she had been left hanging, but the response finally came._

 _If she has, and I had, one weakness, it's pride. She needs others to think she's in control. She needs to feel like she's in charge. If you can take that feeling away from her, it'll be a huge blow to her. Especially if you do it publically. But be warned, Indigo, if you back her into a corner like this, she might not hit you, but that doesn't mean there won't be retaliation someday._

 _What do you think she would do?_

 _Who knows? I tried to nuke the entire school with an enchanted crown._

 _Hardcore._

 _Embarrassing. Look, it's Friday. Just spend the weekend thinking about other things. Relax, go out to dinner, see some movies. Maybe by Monday it won't be bothering you so much. Just be careful._

 _I'll think about it. Thank you, Sunset Shimmer. You've already made me feel better._

 _Just let me know if I can do anything else._

Indigo let her phone drop to the mattress beside her and let her head plop down on her pillow. She lay in the silence until her bedroom door creaked open and a pair of wide, worried eyes poked their way inside.

"Indigo?" Lemon Zest asked just loud enough for her to hear. "We were gonna go out for ice-cream. Do you wanna join us?"

"I'm tired... I'm gonna hang around here. You guys go have fun."

"Do you want us to bring you back something?"

"No, thanks."

"Oh, okay... goodnight, Indigo." Lemon Zest hesitated a moment before slipping back out and closing the door behind her.

Indigo watched the door for a moment, then rolled to her side facing away from it. She just needed to sleep the weekend away... she would be refreshed and rejuvenated by Monday. Ready to continue her studies, hang out with her friends, and wait for the next stage of her life... as far away from Sunset Shimmer as possible.

After spending the weekend locked in her house trying to calm down, Indigo Zap wasn't looking forward to returning to school on Monday. She almost expected to walk into Sunset Shimmer's grinning face the moment she walked in the door. But to her relief she found that, despite Sunset Shimmer's motorcycle being parked out front, the school was abuzz with exactly the same commotion as normal. No more, and no less.

She kept her eyes open as she went about her day, but fortune was smiling on her. She didn't run into Sunset Shimmer once before lunch, where the girl, predictably, swept up to the lunch line to take her place right in front of her.

"Thanks for holding my spot." Sunset Shimmer winked over her shoulder.

The urge to throw a punch was strong, but Indigo held back. She was tired of laughing it off, instead she turned away from the lunch line and marched out into the hallway to head for her next class early. She really didn't feel that hungry anyway.

Her fingers stroked her temple as she walked, and she made a sudden turn into the bathroom on her way, marching up to the mirror to glare at the pale, defeated face she found there. Stupid reflection, showing her the truth...

She turned her eyes away from the mirror when she heard a soft sound from behind her, in one of the closed bathroom stalls. It sounded like a soft squeak at first, but after a moment's concentration she realized it was someone crying. The voice was familiar, actually.

"Lemon Zest?" Indigo moved away from the mirror to push on the stall behind her, but it wouldn't open. "Lemon Zest, are you okay in there?"

"I'm F-fine..." Lemon's voice wavered as she spoke. "They're... just words..."

"Lemon, open up." Indigo knocked on the door lightly. When Lemon didn't respond she grabbed the top of the stall door, hauled herself up, and slipped right over, landing on her feet in front of the toilet. Lemon Zest was sitting on the back of the bowl, with her feet resting on the rim. Her headphones were on her shoulders, for once completely silent. "What did she say to you?"

"I-I don't want to..."

"Come on, we're friends. You can tell me."

Lemon Zest sniffled and wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of one hand. "I-I guess she saw me and Vinyl at the park yesterday..." She sniffled with a soft blush on her cheeks, her eyes drifting to the floor. "She... she said... I might as well drop out of high school now... because nobody will hire a dyke like me anyway..."

Indigo winced, then stepped forward, pulling Lemon off of the toilet and into a tight hug. "You know that's a load of crap."

"Y-yeah..." Lemon hugged her gently around the waist, her cheek leaning against her shoulder. "It still... it just hurt, you know? Especially after everything else that's been going on... it's like she just won't quit. I guess it finally got to me. I'm trying to remember that they're just words, I really am..."

"I know what you mean. It's getting really hard for me too." Indigo pulled away from the hug and reached back to unlock the stall door. "Come on, do you want me to walk you to your next class?"

"Mmhmm..." Lemon nodded with an uncharacteristically demure squeak. Indigo Zap took her hand and pulled her out of the bathroom stall, leading her through the school towards her next classroom with a tight grip on her hand.

She wasn't about to say it to Lemon Zest, but that was the last straw. Sunset Shimmer could poke and prod at her all she wanted, but making her friend cry was far, far more than she was willing to put up with. This was going to end one way or another...

The rest of her day passed like a soft breeze on the wind. Classes were sat through, but not listened to. One teacher tried to question her, but she passed it off with some made up answer she pulled off the top of her head. In her mind she was already rehearsing for after school, a time that drew close far too slowly for her liking. At last, however, the final school bell rang, and Indigo was off like a shot. She didn't even bother with her locker, instead shooting straight for the front exit and out to the parking lot.

She found Sunset Shimmer's bike parked right where it had been that morning. She had beaten Sunset outside... good. All she had to do now was wait. She leaned against the motorcycle casually with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Indigo?" Lemon Zest approached before Sunset Shimmer did, looking to be in slightly better spirits than before. "What're you doing there? Let's get out of here before she comes out."

"Not today." Indigo Zap crossed her arms over her chest.

"Indigo... tell me you're not going to do something dumb."

"I could, but lying isn't my style."

Lemon squeaked in a near panic. "Indigo, please, let's go get ice-cream or something. Don't get in trouble because of what happened to me earlier!"

Her plea was too late, however, as Sunset Shimmer's voice called out to them. "Excuse me, get your butt off of my motorcycle." The girl was quickly approaching with an annoyed look on her face.

"Whatever you say." Indigo moved daintily away from the bike, then whirled and planted a solid kick on the seat, sending it tumbling to the street with the thick crunch of metal on pavement. All eyes in the area whirled on them in shock, and Lemon Zest didn't look like she was breathing anymore.

"You bitch! What do you think you're doing!?" Sunset marched up quickly with her fists clenched. Indigo just watched her approach with her own grim expression. "You're going to pay for the repairs!"

"Make me!" Indigo snapped back. It seemed like every single head in the courtyard was turning back and forth as they spoke.

"You bet I will! Principal Cinch will see to that right before she signs your expulsion papers for vandalism!"

Indigo smirked back cockily. "Oh, I'm sure she will. Because that's what you do! Go crying to mommy or the principal to deal with your problems for you!" All heads turned on Sunset Shimmer again, whose eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in rage. "Because we all know that you can't actually do anything for yourself, can you?"

"You..." Sunset Shimmer sputtered as her eyes darted around the courtyard. "How dare you..."

"You're weak and helpless and you're going to prove it to everybody the second you go tattling to the principal! Or are you going to take a swing?" Indigo stepped closer, putting a finger to her chin. "Please take a swing."

Sunset Shimmer was shaking in rage, her fists clenching at her sides and her teeth gnashing, but she didn't accept Indigo's invitation. Her eyes flitted back and forth around the courtyard, glaring at the increasingly large crowd that was watching them. "What are you all looking at!?" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Most of the students jumped and quickly resumed walking in whatever direction their legs happened to be pointing.

Sunset turned back to Indigo, taking a step away from her. "This... this isn't even close to over," she growled darkly and circled around Indigo to the grounded bike. She heaved it up from the pavement and mounted it, quickly taking off away from the scene with the roar of a powerful engine tolling through the parking lot behind her.

"Holy... crap..." Lemon Zest approached Indigo with a wide, blank stare. "Dude... that was... incredible..."

Indigo glanced at Lemon, then felt her knees finally give out. Lemon Zest rushed forward to catch her, holding her up on legs that felt like they were made of gelatin. "Whew..." Indigo let out a deep, shuddering breath. "Heh, gotta admit, I had no idea what was going to happen there."

"Me neither! I was ready to pass out!"

"She really was all talk." Indigo leaned into her friend's arms, giving her a soft smile. "Hey, I think I'm ready for that ice-cream now."

Lemon Zest grinned. "I'll pay. A hero should get her reward!" Lemon swung her arm grandly through the air as she turned to help Indigo hobble toward the sidewalk until her legs grew strong enough to support her again.

 _You've opened a very dangerous door, Indigo._

 _Somebody had to do it. Bullies like that can't just go unchecked. Even if she tries something later, we can still stand up to her again. She only wins when we stop fighting._

 _Maybe you're right. I just hope you don't come to regret it._

 _I won't regret it, no matter what. Someone messes with my friends, they're gonna get what's coming to them._

 _You sound a lot like a girl I know._

 _She sounds awesome._

 _Extremely. Good luck, Indigo Zap. And you can still give me a ring any time you need me._

 _Same to you. Take care of yourself, Sunset Shimmer._

( **To be Continue** )


	9. Puppy Love

**A/N: Guys and gals I have nothing to say, so please enjoy the story.**

 **ShadowBolt Adventure: Chapter VIII: Puppy Love**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

Spike was bored. The house was completely empty, with Twilight at school and her parents off at work. He missed the days when Twilight would take him to school in her backpack, and let him stay in her little hiding room. He got to see her so many times throughout the day, but she had told him that Canterlot High School was just too far away to take him every day. If he got lost she might never see him again. Not that he would ever do that... he could find his way back to her from a million miles away if he had to.

So here he sat, alone in the front hallway staring at the door and waiting impatiently for the sound of jingling keys on the other side. It must have been several lifetimes, several explosions of the sun and rebirths of the solar system, before he heard that jingle and a light, wonderfully familiar voice on the other side of the door.

"I think I have some soda in the fridge," Twilight's voice preceded her into the house as the door opened.

"Twilight! Welcome home!" Spike leapt into the air with a running start, but missed Twilight as she moved to one side of the door. Instead he slammed face first into Lemon Zest, who squealed in surprise and collapsed backwards out onto the front patio with him on her chest. The scent of sweat mingled with Lemon's own unique odor, invading his nostrils like a flame.

"Spike!" Twilight whirled on him. "What have I told you about jumping at the door?"

"Hahahaha!" Lemon Zest laughed and threw her arms around him. "Awwww, don't yell at him! How can you yell at something this cute?"

Spike whimpered softly, his tail wagging against Lemon's stomach as he stared up at Twilight.

"Oh don't give me that. I'm immunized to you." Twilight waggled her finger at him, though it was more of a jovial gesture than a true scolding.

Lemon Zest climbed to her feet, holding Spike against her chest with both arms. "Well I'm sure not." Lemon grinned and nuzzled her cheek against Spike's. "I wish I had a doggy like this!" A giggle escaped her lips when Spike licked her cheek enthusiastically. "D'awwww!"

Twilight smirked. "Suck up." She couldn't keep up her act, however, and soon broke into a smile as she led Lemon Zest inside. "Okay, Spike, that's enough playing. Lemon Zest isn't here to goof off, I'm tutoring her on chemistry."

"I think we have great chemistry going right here. Muah." Lemon kissed his cheek as her fingers scratched the top of his scalp.

"Oooh man..." Spike's tail slammed into her chest as it wagged back and forth reflexively, his breath coming in quick pants.

Twilight rolled her eyes with a giggle. "Go get set up in the living room. I'll get our drinks and meet you there."

"Sure thing." Lemon Zest slipped her backpack off with one arm, the other carrying Spike as she made her way into the living room, approaching the coffee table in the center of the room. "Sorry little dude, but I think it's about time we got to work." She sat down on the carpet beside the low coffee table and set Spike on the floor.

"Awww, man..." Spike sighed, but obediently turned to march away from the table. If there was one thing Twilight had impressed on him since he was blasted with magic, it was that study time was private time. He had never understood that before the Friendship Games, now that he thought of it. But Twilight was his best friend, he wasn't going to go getting in the way and annoying her now that he knew he was doing it.

He would give them their time... and come back for scratches and snuggles later.

The warm sun felt great on his coat, but Spike's leg scratched instinctively at the collar around his neck. He didn't mind the collar, of course. It was a gift from his friend, but the leash attached to it always made it tug uncomfortably around his neck.

"Why do we need this leash?" Spike asked in an irritated grumble. "I won't go anywhere or hurt anyone, I promise."

"I know that, and you know that, but the law doesn't know that." Twilight reminded him, her right hand holding the other end of his leash. "Relax, we're almost to the dog park, I'll let you off once we're safely inside and nobody can protest."

"Whew, good! I like the dog park! It always smells like dew in there!" Spike jumped back a bit closer to Twilight. "You said there was a surprise too, right? Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Would it still be a surprise?"

"That depends on what it is!"

"I'm not sure if that logic works." Twilight giggled. "We're there anyway, just wait two more minutes."

"Argh, two minutes is too long..." Spike huffed, but fell silent. It felt like a lifetime before they reached the tall iron gate that surrounded the dog park, at least, tall from his vantage point. Once they were inside Spike twitched his ears while Twilight turned to close it behind them. "Come on! Pleeeaaaase!"

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" Twilight knelt down to undo the leash, at last giving him room to jump away without the burden around his neck.

"Finally! Yes! Free! Now where's the surprise!? I don't see anything surprising! Is it that tree over there? I think that was there before!"

"Actually, I think I see your surprise coming now!" Twilight waved her hand over her head. "Hey! We're here!"

"Hey, Twilight!" A familiar voice responded. Spike whirled in excitement to see Lemon Zest jogging toward them.

"Lemon Zest! What a great surprise!" Spike panted. "I like her!"

Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile. "Look down, Spike."

"Down?" Spike looked again, this time at Lemon Zest's feet. There was another dog running beside her, its... no, her... tongue lolling out of her mouth as she yipped in excitement. She was about Spike's size, with a large tuft of fur sticking out the top of her head, slapping in the breeze behind her as she ran. Spike blinked in surprise as the two girls approached, his eyes lingering on the dog. The dog turned to meet him immediately as she neared, her nose sniffing curiously at his face.

"Oh! Um... hello?" Spike blushed.

"Hehe, hey little dude." Lemon Zest caught up a few moments later with a grin on her face. "Looks like Mina likes you."

"Mina?" Spike looked up at her in surprise.

Lemon Zest winked. "I said I wanted a doggy, so me and Twilight went out the other day and got me one! This is Mina, my new dog. We thought you'd like to meet her, so you can have a new friend to play with!"

"Oh... y-yeah, that's great." Spike watched Mina as she circled around him, her nose digging into his fur curiously. Strangely he found himself clueless, watching her do her thing. "Um... I-I don't know what to do!"

"Sniff her butt," Lemon suggested.

Twilight gasped with a deep blush on her cheeks. "Lemon Zest!"

"Whaaat? Dogs do that, right?"

"Well, yeah... but it sounds so wrong when you suggest it like that..."

"Um! Whoa! They do! I mean... we do!" Spike blushed when he felt the cold wet nose probe where he couldn't look, then moved away as Mina circled around to his front, yipping loudly at his face. "Um... hi! Mina!"

Twilight gave him a worried look. "Is something wrong, Spike? Don't you want to play with her? You can go ahead, we'll watch from here."

"Oh, yeah, okay! Come on, Mina! Let's go do something!" Spike turned to bound across the grass, hearing his new companion's paws padding along on the grass behind him with excited yips bursting from her throat.

He led the girl out to the center of the park, where he turned toward her, looking her in the eyes. "So... what do you wanna do?" He asked. She barked. "Um, do you wanna play tag?" She barked again. "Um... y-yeah, so-augh!" Spike yelped and gasped as his new friend jumped into him, headbutting him in the side and rolling him to his back with a sharp growl. "Gah! What'd I do!? I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

His friend yipped again, bouncing back and forth in front of him on all four paws. Spike watched her for a moment, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what she wanted. It felt strange. He was still a dog... wasn't he? He should know how to play with her... and yet he felt completely clueless. Had he really changed so much that he couldn't even talk to his own species anymore? She was a cute dog, for sure... he just wished she could tell him what she wanted from him.

Spike rose to his paws, casting an almost helpless glance over at Twilight, who was perched on a park bench with Lemon Zest. Well, he could at least pretend to be having a good time... for her. She had brought him all the way out here for his sake, after all.

Back on the leash, Spike sighed as he and Twilight made their way down the sidewalk towards home. Lemon Zest and Mina were walking beside them now, but Spike didn't really look at her. She was cute, and he liked her energy, but there just didn't seem to be a point to trying. He had tried all day to get some kind of interaction going with her, but it seemed like all she wanted to do was yip at him, growl at him, and jump on him. It made sense, really. She couldn't talk like he could... no dog could talk like he could...

"Spike?" Twilight's voice was soft as she spoke. Spike listed his eyes from the sidewalk for the first time during the walk home. "Are you okay? You've been really quiet since we left."

"Yeah... I'm fine." Spike looked up over his shoulder, forcing a smile onto his lips.

Lemon Zest gave her a smile. "Don't worry little dude, Mina's just coming home with me for the night. You can see her again any time you want, okay?"

"Yeah..." Spike glanced at Mina, who was just walking forward obliviously with her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. "Thanks..."

"We'll have to do this again sometime, Lemon." Twilight smiled as they approached her house.

"You know it, having a pet is awesome." Lemon grinned and gave her a wave from the sidewalk. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Goodnight!" Twilight waved back, waiting until their friend disappeared down the sidewalk before opening the door and stepping aside to let Spike silently slip inside. He tried to make his way toward his small bed-basket in her bedroom, but Twilight was still holding his attached leash, restraining him.

"Um... I-I'm kind of tired." Spike couldn't look at her.

"Spike, I can tell something's wrong." Twilight pulled him back toward her with a gentle tug and knelt down in front of him, reaching out to scratch his head. "You know you can tell me anything. Hehe, at least you can now... and I'm so glad you can. Please don't shut me out."

"I-I don't mean to do that." Spike looked away guiltily. "I love you, Twilight..."

"I love you too, Spike." Her hands wrapped around him as she sat down on the carpet, pulling him onto her knees and letting him rest on her as she petted down his back. "What's bothering you?"

Spike sighed and rested his chin on her upper thigh. "It's just... Mina seemed like a lot of fun and all, but for some reason I just couldn't relate to her. It was like... like watching an alien..." He closed his eyes. "Am I an alien now, Twilight?"

"Of course you're not an alien, silly. You're just magic now."

"But what does that mean? I feel so different! And it's... kind of scary."

"Oh, Spike..." Twilight slipped her arms around the puppy, lifting him into her arms and cradling him against her chest. "I'm so sorry you feel that way... but I'm afraid I just don't know enough about magic to know what's going on with you. Of course... someone else just might..."

"Yeah?" Spike's ears perked up. "We can get me some help or something?"

"Maybe... come on, we still have some time before the busses stop running for the day." Twilight climbed to her feet. "Don't worry, Spike. I won't rest until you feel better!"

Somehow, Spike felt a little better already.

Sunset Shimmer's apartment complex had all kinds of signs littered around with dog shapes crossed out by weird markings, but Twilight lifted him up and carried him through anyway, making a straight line toward one of the doors on the floor level. They slipped inside without warning, and Twilight explained the situation to her friend, who turned to peer down at Spike with a curious look on her face.

"Hmmmm..." Sunset Shimmer tapped a finger on her chin as she leaned down, staring straight into Spike's face for a long while. The dog just stared back, almost afraid to do anything and interrupt whatever strange examination this was. "I've gotta admit I've wondered about this. A spontaneous increase in intelligence can't just happen by itself, something fundamental must have been altered by the stream of magic."

"You know all about magic, Sunset Shimmer. Can you tell us why? Or at least tell us how we can make him feel better?"

"Feel better? About what?"

"I..." Spike hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I met this cute girl today... a girl dog... and it felt like I couldn't related to her at all. Like I was just looking at something I had no clue what to do with. It's so weird... it's like I can remember how I used to act, but I can't remember why, or... anything. I feel weird inside my own body now... you know?"

"I see..." Sunset Shimmer stood up and crossed her arms over her stomach. "Twilight, this may sound weird, but can I have a moment alone with Spike?"

"What? Oh... of course. Whatever you think is best. How about I get us all some drinks?"

"There's soda in the fridge." Sunset smiled and took a seat on the sofa while Twilight made her way into the kitchen. She turned back to Spike once they were alone and patted the sofa beside her, so the dog leapt up onto the furniture and took a seat, peering up at her curiously. "Believe me, feeling weird in your own body is something I know all about. I'm not exactly from here, you know. I'm still dealing with it, to an extent."

"So it doesn't get better?" Spike whimpered.

"I didn't say that. I don't know if it ever goes away, but it does get better." Sunset reached out idly to scratch the top of his head. "With time and friends, anything can get better."

"Yeah... with friends..." Spike looked down, ignoring the scratches he usually loved so much. "At least you can get along with human friends... I mean, you guys are great and all, but you..." He hesitated and blushed softly. "You don't exactly treat me like you do each-other." Sunset glanced at her hand, then slowly pulled it back.

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Sunset placed her hand in her lap. "So you want to be able to get along with other dogs so you have someone who can really understand you. Someone you can be on equal footing with."

"You make it sound like I hate you..."

"Not at all, I understand. And there is a way you could go back to being a normal dog, if that's what you want."

"I could?"

"Twilight already built a pendant that can absorb magic once. I bet she could do it again. If it's magic that gives you your intelligence, sucking it out might put you back to normal."

Spike thought about that for several long moments, then shook his head. "I don't want to do that. I love talking to Twilight, and she's so happy to talk to me. I just wish I could get along with Mina, too."

Sunset Shimmer leaned back on the couch in silence, her eyes glazed over in thought until Twilight came back in with two glasses of soda and a small bowl of milk.

"Did you two have a good talk?" Twilight set one glass in front of Sunset Shimmer and the bowl in front of Spike.

"I guess." Spike ignored the bowl. He wasn't feeling very thirsty right now.

Sunset Shimmer lifted her glass from the coffee table with a muttered "thank you" and took a slow sip. She swirled the liquid in her glass as she glanced over at Spike. "How about if you could have a good long conversation with her? Do you think that would help you understand dogs, better?"

"A conversation?" Spike's ears perked up.

"Your intelligence came from magic, perhaps because in Equestria your other self is a dragon. Maybe the same is true for her." Sunset took another slow, thoughtful sip of her drink. "Which means if you both actually go to Equestria, her intelligence should rise to match yours. You could talk to her."

Twilight Sparkle gasped. "Go to Equestria? Are we really allowed to do that?"

"She left the portal open and said I could go back any time. I don't know if we should make a day of it, but I doubt she would mind a short trip through too terribly much."

"Actually talk to her..." Spike looked down at his bowl of milk for a long moment, then jumped the short distance across to the coffee table. "I think I like the sound of that." He leaned down to lap up a bit of the cool, soothing liquid.

"Then it's settled!" Twilight nodded with her lips set into a determined line. "I'll call Lemon Zest and have her meet us at CHS tomorrow afternoon, since school's out. I'm sure she'll be okay with this plan, too. She'll want you to get better, Spike."

"Heh, thanks, Twilight." Spike took a couple more laps at his bowl, then lifted his head with a satisfied smile. "I can't wait to talk to her. I wonder what she'll say... I wonder what she thinks of me..."

He blushed, but didn't allow himself to second-guess his plan. Even if it didn't change everything forever, at least he would have a better understanding of what he used to be... and a better understanding of her.

The Canterlot High School courtyard was abandoned as Spike, Mina, Twilight Sparkle, and Lemon Zest approached, except for Sunset Shimmer, who was standing by the large horse statue in front of the entrance. She watched them approach with her arms folded over her chest, her eyes lingering on Spike.

"I already tested the portal. We're good to go any time you guys are," Sunset told them.

"Please tell me I can go too! I want to see this magic world!" Lemon Zest squealed.

Sunset smiled. "You're Mina's mas... caretaker. I wouldn't have it any other way. You can both come."

"Booyah!" Lemon Zest pumped her fist into the air.

Spike approached the mirror with Twilight, looking into his own furry reflection. "So on the other side of this portal I'll be some kind of dragon?"

"Yep. And hopefully so will she." Sunset gestured to Mina, who was peering curiously at her own reflection in the mirror. "Go on through, you two. We'll be right behind you."

Spike looked at the reflection of her dog friend, then raised one paw, putting it on her shoulders. "Come on!" He tugged her forward, sending them both careening through the portal.

It felt like simply walking through a normal door, and yet on the other side he immediately slid to his stomach with a pained grunt. He let himself lay stiff for a short time, before lifting one paw to put it on the floor in front of him. It wasn't a paw anymore, though... it was a claw. A purple claw. He gasped and looked up, at a world that was like nothing he had ever seen before. The place was smooth, almost as if it was made of glass, and shone with colors more vibrant and powerful than he'd ever seen in his whole canine life.

"Whoa..." Spike pushed himself up slowly, but couldn't seem to rise comfortably to all fours. So instead he stayed on his knees, sidling away from the mirror behind him as it flashed.

"Gah!" Lemon Zest's voice cried out as two pony-shaped bodies immediately fell all over each other to the floor right beside him. "Whoa, dude... look at this place!" The winged pony with Lemon Zest's voice pulled herself off of her purple companion, her eyes darting around the room as she climbed to her four, shaking hooves. "I... kind of expected more, actually. Where're the dragons?" Her eyes suddenly settled on Spike. "Oh... uh... there you are. Not exactly ferocious."

"Lemon Zest!" Twilight's voice scolded as the glasses-clad unicorn climbed to her own hooves on shaking legs. "It's not his size that counts, it's his heart."

"Hey, no offense." Lemon raised one hoof defensively, then gasped when she caught sight of it, her eyes scanning down the rest of her body. "Whoa I'm... I'm... naked!" Lemon fell back to her butt, her forelegs quickly wrapping around in front of her body. "Dude!"

Twilight stared at her for a moment, then glanced down at herself and assumed a similar posture. "Gah! She didn't warn us about this!"

"Will you two relax?" Sunset Shimmer moved away from the portal more calmly. "Ponies don't wear clothes, we have fur for a reason."

"Oh... aheh..." Twilight Sparkle blushed. "I knew that..."

"Right..." Lemon cleared her throat, then jerked to one side when she saw something waving behind her. "Dude! Check it out! I got wings!"

Spike blinked when he heard a soft, feminine giggle from the floor beside him. His eyes turned away from the scene to see a second dragon sitting on the floor beside him, watching the three ponies with some bemused interest in her eyes.

"Mina?" Spike closed the distance between them.

"Spike?" Mina's eyes turned toward him, focusing in on his as a bright smile lit up her face. "Geeze! What are we doing here? Did that weird dog from before do this?"

"That, uh, was a mirror... and yeah, it kind of did." Spike plopped down on his butt beside her, holding himself up with his foreclaws. "How do you feel?"

"I feel totally weird... and this place looks totally weird." Mina put her claws up to her head, her eyes scanning the massive, crystalline chamber around them. "I feel like a whole new me, but... kind of the same me, you know?"

"Yeah, I exactly know..." Spike took a deep breath. "That's... kind of why I wanted to bring you here."

"Huh?" Mina blinked in surprise. "You did?"

"A while ago I was hit by some kind of magic burst that... changed me. It gave me the ability to talk but... I didn't notice until recently it also changed the way I think. When I met you I really wanted to have fun, but I couldn't figure out how."

"Oh, at the park you mean? That does explain it..." Mina blushed. "I was really disappointed you wouldn't play with me."

"You were?"

"Yeah, I thought it would be a lot of fun. You're really cute, but you just wouldn't play back."

Spike sighed. "Geeze... it's even worse than I thought. Maybe I should take Sunset Shimmer up on her offer to take my magic away. At least then I could actually spend time with you."

"Do you really want to do that?"

"No, of course not... I like how I am now."

"Then don't do it for my sake. Just... play with me. And I'll try to keep in mind that you're not like me from now on, okay?"

"Can you do that? I mean, no offense, but er... you don't exactly seem like you... keep... thoughts..."

"I can learn..." Mina lifted one claw and placed it gently over his hand. "And so can you. We can learn about each other, it just... might take a little while."

"Y-yeah..." Spike's smile grew slowly. "So you really want to spend time with the world's most boring dog?"

"If you want to spend time with a mutt."

"I wouldn't rather spend time with any other dog." Spike smiled. Mina leaned forward to lick his cheek, a motion that was a little awkward with her strangely long forked tongue, but Spike could appreciate the sentiment.

"Are you ready to go home?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, these hard things on my body are weird. It's like I can barely feel anything."

"Yeah." Spike glanced over at the ponies. "Let's get out of-" He stopped when he saw them.

Twilight Sparkle's horn was glowing with a soft light as she focused, her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth. Lemon Zest was covered by a similar glow as she hovered high in the air, her body stretched out with her wings spread to either side. "Are you ready up there?" Twilight asked in a slightly strained voice.

"Let's do this," Lemon Zest replied in a gruff voice. Twilight's head jerked back, then forward with a grunt, sending Lemon's body hurdling across the room like a paper airplane. the winged pony managed to glide across the length of the room, where she was stopped inches from the wall by the second unicorn standing underneath her. "Whew! Let's do that again!"

"You got it." Sunset Shimmer turned her around. "Twilight, catch!" Sunset flung Lemon across the room toward her friend.

Twilight yelped in surprise and ran to intercept her. "I got her!" The winged pony swooped a bit and Twilight's horn glowed, but the glow on the other end came out behind Lemon Zest, and she flew straight into the mirror, plunging through it with a small popping sound. "Oh... oops..."

"We should go make sure she's okay..." Sunset Shimmer bit her lip, and the two ponies raced through the mirror.

Spike looked over at Mina, who looked back, her claw squeezing his slightly. "Let's get out of here, Spike."

"I'm with you." The two dragons lifted themselves up, crawling the short distance to the mirror to emerge into the normal world on the other side.

"Lemon Zest?" Twilight was kneeling beside her friend, who was flat on the pavement face-down. "Are you okay?"

Mina barked and leapt forward enthusiastically, leaping in front of Lemon's face and licking quickly at her cheek. Lemon grunted and twitched, her eyes popping open as one arm swatted the dog away from her face.

"Gah! Mina! Haha, I love you too, but come on, you're gonna drown me!"

"Whew..." Twilight sighed in relief. "You had me worried for a second there."

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Lemon Zest sat up, wiping her face off with the bottom edge of her shirt. "That was awesome, but I think we should get some practice in before we try that again."

"Agreed." Twilight Sparkle giggled.

Sunset watched the two girls giggle together, glancing down at Spike, who had hung back near the mirror with her. "Did you hear what you wanted to hear?"

"Kind of." Spike glanced up at her. "So that's where you're from, right?"

"That's right."

"Did it feel good going back to what you used to be again?"

"Mmm..." Sunset Shimmer pursed her lips in thought. "A little bit, yeah. But I don't know if I'm ready to throw away everything I have now for it."

"Yeah..." Spike glanced at Twilight Sparkle with a soft smile. "I think I know what you mean."

Sunset leaned down to pluck the end of his leash off of the pavement, but she stayed close to leave it slack. She spoke up so the others could hear her. "As long as we're here, let's head over to my place and watch some TV or something."

"Sounds like a blast!" Lemon climbed to her feet and snapped Mina's leash off of the pavement. "Let's go party, little babe!"

Mina barked enthusiastically and turned to pull her toward the statue. Spike chuckled and moved to pace her down the pavement walkway away from the school. She looked just like she had before, with her tail wagging enthusiastically and her tongue lolling out of her panting mouth, but it didn't seem too strange anymore. Especially when she sidled over to walk just a little bit closer to him. It was still hard to see what she was thinking... but he was pretty sure that was a good sign.

"Awwww, I think she likes him even more now." Lemon Zest giggled behind him. Her next comment made his ears raise. "I can't wait to see their puppies!"

( **To be Continue** )


	10. Desperate Hearts Part I

**A/N: Hello, gals and dudes, my name is SkullCrusher550. Hope you enjoy the story that I'm making, also leave my new story called 'Rainbow Rocks' some review that'll be appreciated. Also 'follow or favorite' this story, hope you guys enjoy!**

 **ShadowBolt Adventure: Chapter IX: Desperate Hearts: Dreaming a Little Dream Part I**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

The bus was strangely empty as Twilight Sparkle entered with her backpack clutched against her chest. It felt for a moment as if she was the only person in the world, before she noticed a friendly, welcome face sitting in his usual seat against the far side window. A wide smile spread across her lips as she made her way down the aisle to join Starswirl, sliding into the seat beside him. She let her backpack slide to the floor at her feet.

"Whew, you wouldn't believe the day I had," Twilight rubbed her forehead with one hand. "So many tests all in one day!"

Starswirl's eyes twinkled with a mixture of pride and mischief. "You passed all of them, I imagine."

Twilight couldn't help but grin as she adjusted her glasses on the edge of her nose. "Well, I gave it my best, and the teachers seemed pleased."

"That's my girl..." Starswirl lifted his hand to her shoulder, giving it a powerful squeeze. "You're just like me."

"Thank you..." Twilight stared up into his eyes deeply. "You're the only person who really understands me..."

"I do understand you, Twilight... people like us need to stick together." Starswirl's hand moved from her shoulder to her cheek, cupping it gently in his palm. "Nobody can really understand us the way we understand each other."

"Yes..." Twilight leaned slightly closer to him, feeling her cheeks flushing. "I know exactly what you mean..."

"Twilight..." His hand slid around her waist slowly, pulling her up from the seat to bring her closer to his chest. She felt her heartbeat quicken as he pulled her close, his eyes staring into hers with something new... a passion she had never seen in them before. "You are the most precious girl I've ever met in my life..."

"Staswirl..." Twilight cooed as she moved closer, her lips nearing his as his hand stroked down her back. "Yes... yes..."

Twilight Sparkle's eyes snapped open, staring at her ceiling sharply. She could feel her breath coming in deep gasps, while her mind whirled in shock and confusion. She had had erotic dreams before, of course. It was a natural part of growing up, after all... but having it about someone she knew in real life was a new experience for her. She wasn't able to wrap her head around it. Was she crushing on Starswirl? That was positively silly... he was over fifty years older than her. How could she even consider it?

She lay in the darkness and silence, letting her mind tug at the questions until morning came.

"Heave!" Indigo Zap's voice was cut off by the sound of five girls straining against the thick length of chain. It moved slowly with each massive grunt of collective effort, pulling back towards the street as the engine block lifted distressingly slowly from the driveway in front of them. Inch by inch, pull by pull it rose toward the winch connected to the heavy duty steel on wheels. "We're... almost there! Just a little more!"

Sunny Flare felt like her arms were going to collapse from the strain, but finally Indigo Zap gripped the smaller line in her hand and tugged on it, a latch on top of the winch to lock it in place.

"There! that should be high enough!" Indigo grinned.

"Ugh!" The other four girls all collapsed to the pavement in unison, leaving the engine dangling from its perch beside the car.

"Why do engines have to be so big?" Lemon Zest ripped off her gloves. "My hands still hurt through the gloves."

"They have to pull an entire car, Lemon. You can't do that with a double-a." Indigo reached up to lift her safety goggles from her eyes, perching them on top of her head.

"Well I sure hope this is worth it, Indigo." Sugarcoat climbed back to her feet, adjusting her glasses which had fallen askew on collapse. "You've spent so much money on parts for this thing. It wouldn't cost much more to get a used car that already works."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't have this baby in it." Indigo patted her brand new engine with an almost affectionate smile. "There's enough horsepower in here to put a magic pony princess to shame."

"Hardy-har..." Sour Sweet grumbled, flat on her back on the pavement with her chest heaving.

"Besides, this is a matter of pride, too. Dad gave me a challenge to get this thing running, and I'm gonna do one better. I'm gonna make this the best car we've ever had."

"I for one applaud your ambition." Sunny Flare rose to her feet slowly, brushing down the overalls she borrowed from Indigo. "But I think we could all use a short break before we put it in. That really took a lot out of us."

"Yeah, relax, I got you girls covered. I'll go bust out the sandwiches I made earlier, as thanks for helping me out so much today."

Sugarcoat rested her hands on her hips. "Doing hard labor, getting paid in sandwiches. Living the dream."

"I owe you a sarcastic comment." Sour Sweet lifted one hand tiredly from the pavement, then let it flop back down again. "I'll think of one when I'm not dead tired..."

"Sandwiches will be fine, thank you." Sunny gave Indigo a friendly smile.

Once their friend had gone inside, Sunny turned back to the others, but paused when she saw Twilight Sparkle approaching from further down the sidewalk. She was waking right past them, her head down and her eyes looking thoughtfully intense. It wasn't an unusual look for her, and it always meant that something was on her mind.

"Hey, Twilight." Sunny waved across the yard and moved to intercept. Twilight didn't look up from the sidewalk, a sure sign that something was bothering her. Sunny picked up her pace and ran ahead of her, standing on the sidewalk and waiting for Twilight to run face-first right into her side.

"Gah!" Twilight looked up in shock. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sunny! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Sunny gave her friend a reassuring smile. "You look kind of distracted, though. Are you okay?"

"I'm..." Twilight blushed. "Maybe not so much... can you keep a secret?"

"I may have one or two rolling around my head." Sunny winked.

"I kind of had a weird dream last night..." Twilight's blush grew unusually deep, and she seemed to be avoiding Sunny's eyes. "A... sort of maybe... erotic dream?"

Sunny stared at her friend for a moment, then let out a light chuckle. "Twilight, that's hardly something I'd call weird. We all have those from time to time."

"I know, I know, but this one was different. It was about someone specific."

"Oh?" Sunny cupped her hands in front of her, fixing Twilight with an attentive, but non-expectant look. "Is that so?"

"Yeah... it's kind of embarrassing... I don't even know what it means." Twilight was nervously fiddling with her glasses so much that she looked like she was trying to bury them in her eyes, with her hands in just the perfect position to block her view of Sunny. Sunny reached out with both hands to take her wrists in a gentle grip, pulling them away from her face. At last Twilight met her eyes again, seeing her patient, bright smile, and finally relaxing a little. "It... it was about Starswirl. My friend from the bus."

"I see." Sunny was careful to keep her reaction perfectly neutral aside from the smile on her lips. "Twilight, can I ask you something personal?"

"Of course."

"Have you ever dated before?"

"Dated?" Twilight's cheeks flushed brightly. "N-no, I can't say I have. The boys at Crystal Prep were never any nicer to me than the girls..."

"How about at CHS? Has anybody caught your eye?"

"Not really." Twilight shook her head. "There's this one boy who's nice to me, but he's not my type. He's rather... loud, for me."

"You'd prefer a boy who's smart, calm, quiet, and intelligent... like you."

"Maybe." Twilight sighed. "And Starswirl is all of those things... do you think I'm crushing on him? Am I that weird?"

"Twilight." Sunny put her hands on her shoulders with a firm grip that wouldn't be denied. "You're not weird, I think you're just lonely. You met a man who's a lot like you, and who likes you. There's an attraction there. That's not wrong... but there are other boys more your age you could connect with. You just need to get out and meet them."

"Lonely? I'm not lonely, I just have bigger priorities than that."

"Twilight..." Sunny's expression grew worried now. "If that's true, then I'll drop it right now. But as your friend, I don't want to see you repress your natural need for companionship just because you're afraid to put yourself out there. It's not healthy for you."

"Do... do you really think I'm repressed?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way... but you're having erotic dreams about seventy-year-old men. In my opinion? You could use someone to connect with."

Twilight's face turned thoughtful again as she stared into Sunny's sincere face, then nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll... I'll give it a try. But, um, how?"

Indigo's voice interrupted from the lawn. "Hey, are you two coming? There's enough sandwiches for both of you!"

Sunny glanced back, then turned back to Twilight, holding her open hand out to her. "I'm sure we could come up with a way to get you out there, if you want us to."

Twilight nodded more quickly this time with a warm smile as she placed her hand in Sunny's. "Okay, let's do it."

Sunny squeezed her hand and pulled her back to the others, approaching the tray Indigo had set on the grass, while the rest of the girls lounged around it.

"Hey Twi, help yourself." Indigo gestured to the tray with one hand while the other held a bologna sandwich near her lips. "When we're done you can help us get the engine in."

"Thank you. I could try..." Twilight plopped down on the grass between Indigo and Sunny with a soft blush. "But I'm not as strong as you all are."

"You don't have to, Twilight. We got it up, we can put it in." Sunny glanced around at the others. "In the meantime, we have things to discuss. Twilight Sparkle wants us to help her find a boyfriend."

Lemon Zest perked up. "A boyfriend, eh? That sounds cool, I know some of the best dance clubs in town!"

Twilight squeaked. "I'm not really one for dancing..."

Indigo shrugged. "That's cool, we can hit the park, see if there's anybody using the sports fields you can get to know."

"I'm not one for sports..."

Sunny Flare chimed in next. "We can go to the beach."

"I'm not a strong swimmer..."

Sugarcoat folded her arms. "You don't go to the beach to swim. You go to make yourself visible."

"I'm not good at being visible..."

Sour Sweet chimed in. "Then let's just post an ad online! It can say boring nerd who doesn't do anything seeks companionship!"

Indigo patted Sour Sweet on the back. "Glad to have you back."

Twilight winced and lowered her head. "I'm sorry... I'm making this difficult..."

Sunny Flare stroked her chin. "She has a point, though." When she saw Twilight's wet puppy-dog eyes turn on her she raised her hands disarmingly. "Not the boring nerd part, the placing an ad part. If you're uncomfortable going out and meeting people, why don't we try an ad? You can find someone like you without weeding through the ones who aren't."

"Do those things even work?" Sugarcoat asked. "They've always seemed kind of dodgy to me. As if people can be boiled down to numbers and mathematics."

"Maybe it's not perfect, but it's a place to start, and there's no immediate pressure." Sunny smiled. "In fact we could all take out an ad. It might be fun, and who knows, it could lead somewhere."

The other girls all exchanged curious glances before Indigo spoke up. "Heck, I've done crazier things before. Sign me up!"

Lemon Zest nodded. "I'll have to ask Vinyl if it's okay... but if she says yeah, I'll totally go for it!"

Sugarcoat smirked. "This isn't going to work. But heck, I'll join in anyway. It might be worth a few laughs."

Sour Sweet grinned. "That's exactly how I wanted to spend my weekend! Pleading with strangers I don't even know to give me a date I don't even want!"

"I'll take that as acceptance." Sunny turned back to Twilight. "There's a studio in town that helps people recording dating videos and load them to their site. We can go tomorrow, if you don't have any plans."

"I don't." Twilight was smiling broadly as the others all turned toward her. "Thank you, girls. This means so much to me."

Sugarcoat smiled. "It'll all be worth it when something goes terribly wrong."

( **To be Continue** )


	11. Desperate Hearts Part II

**A/N: Hello, this is SkullCrusher550. Welcome back to another chapter of 'ShadowBolt Adventures', this is the second part of Desperate Hearst. So hope you enjoy th story, guys!**

 **ShadowBolt Adventure: Chapter X: Desperate Hearts: Getting Out There**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

Getting the entire group together was a bit like herding cats sometimes, especially when Lemon Zest broke out the roller skates, but Sunny Flare managed to get them all moving in the direction of the dating service slash spa she found on the edge of town, The Love Spa. The place looked clean and inviting on the outside, which she took as a good sign, and her impression only got better when they walked into the lushly decorated lobby. Already there was a thick carpet just beyond the shoe rack by the door, where many pairs of shoes sat behind locked glass.

"Welcome!" A sensual voice with a hint of an accent called up to them as a woman slightly older than them swept toward the door, bowing graciously at their entrance. "My name is Aloe! What can I do for you?"

"We're here for your dating services," Sunny gestured to her group of friends. "You know, those ad videos for your website."

"Ah, wonderful! We're always here to help precious young ladies seek love!" Aloe grinned a toothy grin.

Sour Sweet grumbled. "Is she gonna help us find love or eat us...?"

Aloe continued on. "Would you like to freshen up with our spa services first?"

"A spa before the videos?" Sunny asked curiously.

Aloe nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! We want all of our lovers to be at zeir best for zee videos! You can freshen up in the spa, and be ready to knock zem dead with your charm!"

Sunny Flare considered this for a moment, then turned back to her friends. "What do you say? I have a few hours to kill."

Sugarcoat stepped forward. "I think I speak for all of us when I say spending the day getting pampered sounds pretty good after all the manual labor yesterday."

Indigo Zap snorted. "Are you ever gonna get over that?"

"Maybe."

"It's decided. Let's do it." Sunny turned toward Aloe. "Six for the full treatment."

"Wonderful! I'll take your shoes, and my sister will show you into the back where you can prepare for ze hot tub."

"Hot tub? Heck yes!" Sour Sweet grinned.

After removing their shoes and locking them up with the rest, they charged toward the back, where they met another woman who looked nearly identical to the one by the door, and in fact even her voice was nearly the same.

"Good afternoon. My name is Lotus Blossom, please feel free to make use of our lockers, and here are your towels." She moved behind the counter to pull six thick towels up and hand them to Sunny.

Lemon gaped in awe. "Are you two twins? Did you like, use your twin mind powers to know we were coming back here?"

Lotus just smiled. "Yes, we are twins. And no, she radioed ahead."

"Awww..." Lemon's shoulders slumped.

"The truth is out there, Lemon." Indigo patted her back and headed into the locker room.

As the six girls undressed at separate lockers, Indigo Zap called across the room. "Hey Lemon Zest, did you seriously get Vinyl Scratch to let you come do this?"

"Um, yeah." Lemon replied. "I think her exact words were 'good luck, babe'."

"Oh." Indigo fell silent for a moment. "Lemon, you have the best girlfriend in the world."

"Yeah, I know."

"Like, I'm going to turn gay just so I can steal her from you."

"You can try, but I'm not letting go without a fight." Lemon Zest was practically beaming as she continued to change.

Sunny Flare cast a quick glance as Twilight Sparkle in front of the locker next door, who was looking over her shoulder at Lemon Zest. There was a trace of sadness in her eyes as she watched the look on Lemon's face. The look of a girl undoubtedly in love.

"Looks pretty nice, doesn't it?" Sunny Flare asked softly.

"She looks so happy." Twilight turned back toward her locker.

"That's why we're here, Twilight." Sunny Flare took the smaller girl's shoulder in a firm, comforting grip. "It might not be immediately, but we'll find you someone. Heck, maybe I'll find someone too."

"Yeah? You're looking?"

"I wouldn't object." Sunny lifted her towel to tie it around her chest with practiced ease, then closed her things away safely in her locker. "Come on, let's go relax."

The Love Spa was a really nice place, and Sunny Flare couldn't help but release all of the tension of her schoolwork and the previous day's labor. The hot tub was first, where the girls soaked in the warm waters in the soothing ambience of warm lights and soft string music. Sunny Flare let herself sink in up nearly to her shoulders and gave a deep, relaxed sigh. The others weren't all so relaxed, though. Lemon seemed to be stalking Indigo around the water, only to turn away when Indigo looked back, and Twilight was sitting rigid with her back against the wall of the tub and her arms tightly wrapped around her chest.

"Are you okay, Twilight?" Sunny asked in a worried tone. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"N-no, of course not." Twilight smiled sheepishly. She was sunk into the water up to her neck. "I just don't want to be groped from behind."

There was silence for several moments before Indigo finally asked the question. "Why would one of us do that?"

"To compare size," Twilight replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The silence reigned again, this time broken by Sugarcoat.

"Twilight. I'm saying this with love. Stop watching anime."

Next up was a massage from a small gang of masseuses. Sunny could feel her already loose muscles being kneaded underneath her skin, spread and relaxed to a degree she wasn't sure she had ever felt in her life. She'd never considered herself the kind of girl to make frequent spa trips, but if they were able to accomplish this every time, she may just consider making a habit of it. But then, that really did depend on what the bill came out to. If she tensed up again right after she finished, then the massages were meaningless.

Once the massages were done they made their way around to a sauna, where Indigo did nothing but complain. "Are we really paying them to make us sweat? We could be working on my car right now and sweating just as much."

Sugarcoat smirked. "That requires effort. And not everybody will do it for sweat and sandwiches."

"Oh for Pete's sakes, I'll pay you in money next time, okay!?"

"Promises are lies until you make good on them."

"I will, I promise!" Indigo paused, speaking before the giggles could begin. "Oh shut up..."

A brief stop in some showers for a rinse, and then their final stop in a salon where they received manicures, pedicures, and had their hair styled at the same time. There were so many employees working on them Sunny was sure she was going to have to beg her mother to pay all of this off, but she refused to ruin the moment with such thoughts.

At last their day at the spa was nearing its end, and the girls emerged, fresh, relaxed, and with a light coating of makeup provided by a professional stylist. Lotus Blossom was waiting for them right outside their room.

"I hope everything was to your liking."

"I never thought I'd say this..." Indigo stretched skyward with a serene smile on her lips. "But I could get used to the spa..."

"You said it..." Even Sour Sweet had a relaxed smile on her face.

"I'm glad, you'll be at your most relaxed and beautiful for your online profiles. We'll set up your accounts once ze pictures are taken, of course." Lotus Blossom smiled brightly. "We have a couple of different backdrops for you to choose from. A view of the ocean through a window, a bedroom with soft lighting, a crackling fireplace, ze choice is yours." Lotus held out a small pamphlet. "Whichever of you wishes to go first, of course."

Sunny Flare glanced down at Twilight, but the smaller girl didn't volunteer. "I'll go first," Sunny took the pamphlet to look it over. "I think the fireplace will work for me."

"Come right zis way." Lotus led them back through a long hallway lined with rooms, each with a different motif, until they turned into one that was decorated like a log cabin, with a crackling fireplace burning against the far wall, in front of which sat a sturdy oak chair with a thick comfortable cushion on the seat. "Have a seat. Do you know what you want to say?"

"Hm, I'm not entirely sure." Sunny took the proffered seat, turning toward the video camera set up in front of it. "What sorts of things to people usually talk about in these things?"

"Say a bit about yourself. Who you are, what you like, what you're looking for. Things zat will help others decide if zey would like to get to know you better."

"Alright, sure." Sunny flare cleared her throat.

"When you're ready, darling." Lotus Blossom gave her a thumbs up, looking down at the view screen on the camera to center the girl.

Sunny focused on the camera, putting as bright a smile as she could on her lips. "My name is Sunny Flare. I'm eighteen, on my last year of high school, and plan to go to college with a major in medical science. I like walks, taking care of my family, and spending time with my friends. I like guys who are honest, dependable, and kind. Um... I think that about covers it."

"Short and simple. I like zat. Who is next?"

"Me-me-meeeee!" Lemon Zest rushed toward the chair, nearly shoving Sunny out of it with a bright grin. "I'm Lemon Zest! I'm eighteen, Aquarius, and love meeting people! I also love music, dancing, exercise, and puppies! So if you're interested, ladies, give me a call. I'm looking for a cool chick with a hot butt." She pointed at the camera with a wink, clicking her tongue enticingly.

Lotus Blossom chuckled under her breath and shook her head. "Brilliant. Who's next?"

"I think I can take it from here." Indigo Zap approached the chair and plopped down as Lemon Zest moved out of the way, taking a deep breath as she faced the camera. "I'm Indigo Zap, I'm eighteen, I like working with my hands... and I'm really good with my hands... heh... heh, see, that's a, uh..." Indigo trailed off with a cough. "Can we start over?"

"As many times as you want."

"I'm Indigo Zap. I'm eighteen, I like building stuff, and I need a guy who can keep up with me. If you think you're that guy..." She put her hands on her hips cockily. "Hit me up, and I'll be the judge of that."

"Oooh, very feisty." Lotus Blossom nodded in approval.

"I guess it's my turn." Sour Sweet approached the chair as Indigo moved out of the way, sitting and putting her hands in her lap. "I'm Sour Sweet." There were several long minutes of silence.

"I think they need more than that," Sugarcoat pointed out from the sidelines.

"Oh, do they? Well maybe I'm not going to jump through their hoops like a little monkey!" She jumped to her feet, glaring at the camera. "You wanna know me? Hit me up and I'll get you real well acquainted with me! If you're not the spineless wimp I think you are! You jerk! Making me sit here and audition for you! I hate you!" She whirled to march away from the chair and marched out the door.

"Um..." Lotus looked up in confusion.

Sunny Flare smiled apologetically. "She'll be okay, she can be like that."

Without batting an eyelash Sugarcoat took the seat in front of the fireplace. "Are we ready?"

"Oh, yes, of course." Lotus resumed her place behind the camera. "When you're ready."

"My name is Sugarcoat. I'm eighteen, and if you go on a date with me, it might be the worst experience of your life. I will watch you, I will judge you, and I will let you know if you don't meet my expectations. If you're not prepared to discover your true worth as a man, don't even think about asking me out."

Lotus Blossom looked up over the camera blankly. "You know you're paying for zis video, right? Are you sure you wouldn't like one more... enticing?"

Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses with one hand as she stood up. "Oh yeah, I'm sure."

"Well." Sunny Flare moved across the room to where Twilight was still watching from the door. "There's only one left."

"Heh... yep..." Twilight wrung her hands together in front of her. "One left..."

"You've come this far. You can do this, Twilight. Just sit down and talk about yourself. It's not that difficult, is it?"

"I'm not really one for making myself sound great..."

"You don't need to sound great. Just be honest, and people will see how wonderful you are."

Twilight Sparkle gulped, then took a deep breath. "Okay, okay you're right. I can do this... I will do this." She moved to sit down in the chair, smoothing down her skirt and adjusting her glasses very carefully before facing the camera head on.

"When you're ready." Lotus angled the camera down slightly for the shorter girl. Sunny Flare gave her an encouraging thumbs up from behind their camerawoman.

Twilight took several deep breaths before speaking in a somewhat quiet, but firm tone. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm eighteen, and currently a high-school student... and while I haven't chosen a college major yet, I've been told my academic scores are such that I should be able to find something relatively easily... I just haven't found what really drives me yet, you know? And while I guess there are some obvious choices I could make... I'm just rambling, aren't I?"

Sunny twirled her hand behind her, mouthing the words keep going.

Twilight looked at the camera again. "And... and I may not have much to offer somebody... my body isn't great, I don't get out much, and I barely even know how to talk... but maybe you don't mind a girl who's a little bit of an eccentric genius. If you don't mind that... I'd really like to meet you." Twilight forced a meek smile onto her lips as she stared into the camera.

Sunny moved in front of the camera and clapped a hand on her shoulder. "That was beautiful, Twilight. Straight from the heart."

"Oh come on, I was just rambling..."

"Yep." Sugarcoat nodded. "But it was adorable."

Lemon Zest nodded in agreement. "Totally! If you were a puppy I would hug the crap out of you right now!"

"Yeah, don't sell yourself short, Twi." Indigo gave her a thumbs up. "I think we're about all wrapped up here."

No sooner did she speak than a thunderous crash echoed from the next room, followed by Sour Sweet's voice screaming "%^$# this place!"

Sugarcoat folded her arms with a subdued smile. "I'm satisfied now."

"And that's my cue..." Sunny Flare rushed toward the next room to calm her rampaging friend.

Thankfully, Sour Sweet's damage was minimal, and Lotus Blossom agreed to let it slide, once Sour Sweet had been calmed down by hugs. The end of the day only got better when she found out that the spa wasn't nearly as expensive as she had expected.

"We believe zat having guests come back is more important zan taking money from zem immediately," Aloe explained at the front desk.

"Then come back we shall, I think." Sunny smiled in relief as she forked over the money they pooled together to pay for it. They finished setting up their online accounts they could check at home, then left the building in high spirits. Even Twilight, as nervous as she'd been throughout the day, looked more relaxed now than she had right after her massage.

"So who's optimistic about our chances of bagging good ones?" Indigo Zap asked. "I think we have a better chance of getting landed on by an X-Wing."

Sugarcoat shrugged. "I think that was a waste of time... but the spa treatment was nice, at least."

Lemon grinned. "Yeah, I'm not gonna be leaving Vinyl any time soon anyway, but I had a good time."

Sour Sweet's shoulders were slumped as she grumbled, "I don't care, I have a headache..."

"I haven't done any research on the statistical odds of dating services leading to lasting relationships..." Twilight commented. "But at least I can look forward to trying."

"That's the spirit." Sunny winked and nudged her shoulder.

Twilight giggled softly. The two of them were walking a bit ahead of the others, so she could speak softly without them hearing. "Sunny, thank you... not just for today, but it seems like you've been helping me, and all of the others constantly since we became friends. I hope you don't think I haven't noticed, or that I don't appreciate it."

"Have I?" Sunny thought about it for a few moments. "I can't say I noticed... I guess this is just how I do things. But thank you for saying so, Twilight. I'm glad to help make your lives a little easier."

"And we'll help you too, if you need us."

Sunny nodded. "I'll keep it in mind." She looked up as they approached her driveway, stopping to turn back to the others. "Well, I'll see you girls tomorrow. Make sure you take your medicine tonight, Sour Sweet. You'll feel better."

"Yeah, yeah..." Sour Sweet grumbled.

The girls all said their goodbyes, and Sunny Flare made her way up the driveway to her door, heading inside. The house was quiet, though there was a pleasant breeze moving through the front hallway. She slid off her shoes, set them by the door and took off across the cushiony carpet. As she made her way down the hallway, her feet sank into the carpets several inches, giving the impression that she was walking on a cloud.

She stopped at one of the doors on her way and gripped the ornate knob, pushing it open. The room inside was dark, with the only light coming through the thin curtains on the windows overlooking a bed. The light silhouetted several tall machines, whose hoses were trailing down through the air and underneath the bedsheets, where a small figure was lying on his back, covered up to his neck. His eyes were closed, but she could see his shallow breathing from here.

Sunny Flare slipped into the room and closed the door quickly to block out the light. She approached the bed and leaned down, running a hand over his forehead. He felt a little warm, so she reached up to pull the blanket down a little past his chest. Her lips pressed against his forehead and she leaned back to take a seat in the small wooden chair beside the bed, her hand snaking over to the nightstand to pluck a book from the top of it.

"Daring Do approached the wicked looking creature, her eyes searching for sign of its intent, but it wasn't long before she realized that it just looked lonely..."

( **To be Continue** )


	12. Regrets

**A/N: Hello, welcome to another story known as 'ShadowBolt Adventure'. Please leave me some positive review, or press the button of 'Follow or Favorite' at the left side of screen. Enjoy the story guys!**

 **ShadowBolt Adventure: Chapter XI: Regrets**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

Lively Hearth's Warming music pounded from the large speakers at the top of the record store. Bells, saxophones, and pianos mingling together in a manner one only heard, or could tolerate, at one time of year. It wasn't the kind of music Lemon Zest enjoyed, but even she was able to get in the holiday spirit when those melodic voices started singing their uplifting tunes. Well, mostly uplifting. She never understood why so many singers decided to write depressing Hearth's Warming songs. When she got her degree in musical science she would write the most uplifting songs ever heard.

She jolted out of her thoughts when a finger tapped her shoulder. A bright smile spread across her lips when she turned to see her companion standing behind her with a CD held up in one hand, the other pointing to the picture on the front. A picture of two infant children on a sled being pulled by a white fluffy dog with a fake red nose.

"Is this the grossest cover you've ever seen in your life or what?" Vinyl Scratch turned the cover toward her to peer down at it with a grimace. "Seriously, I think I am getting diabetes just looking at it."

"Haha, what's wrong, not a big fan of puppies?" Lemon Zest swept up to wrap an arm around Vinyl's, plucking the CD out of her grip with the other to get a better look at the name. "The Fluffy Puppies is an actual band?"

"Apparently. Or they're pretending to be one, anyway. Who knows if they can actually make music? Never heard them before. And I don't really want to."

"Maybe I'll buy it for our dinner date tonight." Lemon grinned slyly up at her girlfriend.

Vinyl smirked back with a raised eyebrow. "If you do, I'll feed you from a dog bowl." She looked over Lemon's shoulder with a spark of recognition lighting up behind her heavily tinted shades. "Hey, give me just a minute will ya? I just spotted a friend I haven't seen in a while. You pick out something good for us to listen to. Whatever you want. It's all you, baby." She leaned in and kissed Lemon, leaving the blueberry taste of her lipstick lingering on Lemon's lips.

"Alright, hurry up." Lemon smiled dreamily and let Vinyl slip out of her grip on her way toward the front of the record store. Once her blue-haired beauty was out of sight, Lemon turned back to the CD shelf and placed the Fluffy Puppies CD back on the rack to resume her browsing.

"Pardon me." A soft voice with a faint trace of an accent interrupted her browsing. She turned to see a slightly taller girl standing behind her, with a look of concern etched onto otherwise strikingly beautiful features. "I hate to interrupt... but you're here with Vinyl Scratch, aren't you?"

"Er... yeah, that's right." Lemon turned toward the strange girl. "I'm Lemon Zest. And you are?"

"Octavia Melody." Octavia held both hands up in front of her, fiddling with the front of her shirt nervously. "I was afraid I saw what I saw... look, I don't want to worry you, but I feel like you should know that dating her can be... difficult."

"Difficult?" Lemon Zest brushed it off with a laugh. "Oh come on, she's great! She's funny, energetic, and did you know she's a certified genius? She builds all of her own gear! How cool is that!?"

"Why yes, I did know, actually. I'm her ex-girlfriend..." Octavia trailed off into nervous silence for several moments before continuing. "And I felt obligated to warn you that... there's a chance things could go very, very badly with her. You deserve to know before you get in too deep."

"Badly?" Lemon's smile faded slightly. "What do you mean badly? I mean, there's always a chance of breaking up, but that doesn't mean you don't try."

"Yes but... there's no way to put this delicately is there...?" Octavia moved up closer to Lemon and took her hands, leaning in to whisper into her ear. "She can be violent, sometimes. I know it may not seem like it, but she... she can be."

Lemon blinked in surprise, not moving away from the girl. "Octavia... are you saying she hit you while you were dating?"

Octavia moved back and released Lemon's wrists, clearing her throat. "Well, I've said my piece. I wish you the best." Her eyes flitted over Lemon's shoulder for a brief moment before she turned to march quickly toward the next isle in what could only be described as a rapid retreat.

"Hey babe." Vinyl's voice made Lemon jump a bit and whirl back toward her surprised girlfriend. Vinyl raised her arms quickly in surprise. "Whoa! Are you okay? Didn't mean to scare you."

"I-I'm fine..." Lemon gulped. "Just heh... got lost in my own head I guess."

"Yeah, I know the feeling. Did you pick a CD?"

"Oh, yeah." Lemon grabbed blindly at the shelf and held a CD out to Vinyl, only realizing too late that it was the Fluffy Puppies CD. "Th-this one."

"Aw man, really?" Vinyl took the CD from her with a soft grumble. "Fine. But if I hear one dog bark anywhere on here I'm breaking it in half."

"Heh, r-right..." Lemon forced a crooked grin onto her lips. She didn't object when Vinyl slipped an arm around her waist and guided her toward the front to make their purchase.

The ride to Vinyl's place was wildly uncomfortable, though thankfully it wasn't quiet since Vinyl kept her music running in the car at all times. As much as Lemon Zest loved music, she just couldn't find it in her to get into it right now. Octavia's warning was still echoing through her head. In their time together Vinyl Scratch had been the coolest girl Lemon had ever known. She was fun, told jokes constantly, loved partying and music. Even trying to imagine her getting violent was difficult, but why would someone lie about that? Maybe she was just an angry, bitter ex.

Vinyl's sleek convertible rolled up into her driveway before too long, and she climbed out into the gently falling snow that had started while they were moving. Lemon moved around the car to join her, letting their arms intertwine as they made their way into the modestly-sized house that was blissfully warm on the inside. Black and white patterned decorations lined the visible walls, but the carpets and furniture were mostly light brown or deep rose.

"You wanna put on the music and get comfy while I get dinner ready?" Vinyl slid her jacket off and kicked her thick snowboots to the floor beside the door. "Shouldn't take long."

"Sure." Lemon gave her a quick kiss before she unzipped her own jacket and hung it on the hook by the wall, kicking her boots into the pile.

As Vinyl made her way into the kitchen Lemon went into the living room. Most of it looked fairly old and worn-in, but the room suddenly became shiny and high-tech as she approached the far wall, which was dominated by speakers with a sound system half as large as she was tall sitting dead center in the middle of it. She ripped open the packaging and slid the CD into the player, making sure the volume wouldn't make her head explode until the first strings of Silent Night began vibrating forth.

Thankfully the tune was devoid of dog barks, so her CD was safe from Vinyl's wrath. She plopped down on the couch and propped her socks up on the coffee table in front of her, letting her head lean back as she soaked in the music. She was glad the first song was so soft, she needed something to relax her. She didn't want it to, but her mind kept wandering back to Octavia's warning. She had looked so serious... frightened, even.

"This CD's not nearly as bad as I thought. I'm glad you picked it." Vinyl's approaching voice made Lemon open her eyes and watch her approach the sofa with a plate in each hand. She plopped down carelessly beside Lemon and set a plate in front of her. "Microwave chicken tenders and french fries. Dinner of queens."

"Heh, it smells great, thanks." Lemon dropped her feet to the floor and waved a hand over the steaming food to cool it. "Hey, Vinyl, you said you've dated girls before me, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Vinyl nodded as she mimicking Lemon's cooling motions. "None as awesome as you, but I've sniffed around a bit."

Lemon tried to keep her tone casual. "Did you date one named Octavia Melody?"

Vinyl's motions seemed to falter, and her face twitched at the name, but she quickly recomposed herself. "Yeah, she was my first girlfriend. I went out with her the longest, too."

"Why did you break up?" Lemon asked.

Vinyl was silent for several minutes before she responded. "Why is that important?"

Lemon didn't want to lie, not to her girlfriend... so she told the truth. "She caught up with me at the record store and introduced herself."

"Yeah?" Vinyl plucked one of the chicken tenders off of her plate and gave it a nibble, speaking around it. "What did she say?"

Lemon tried to stay as casual as she could, popping a fry into her mouth and chewing long enough to swallow it before answering. "She wanted to warn me that you hit her. I know, stupid right? Must be some crazy kind of jealous."

Vinyl took another bite of her chicken, no longer looking in Lemon's direction. She kept her gaze focused solely on the meal in front of her. "She wasn't lying."

Lemon's hand paused midway up to her lips with a chicken tender in her fingers, her eyes darting over to stare at Vinyl's cheek. "Do you... wanna tell me what that was all about?"

"Not really. That was a while back."

"Oh." Lemon let the silence between them fall into place as Jingle Bells began playing from the speaker wall. This was the first time she could say there was an uncomfortable silence between them, and it quickly became more than she could stand. "Vinyl, please. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but... I feel like I need to know now."

Vinyl dropped the remains of her first chicken tender onto her plate and leaned back, finally turning to peer at Lemon through her rose-tinted glasses. "Alright... yeah, you deserve to know this, I guess. And if you wanna leave me once you know, I won't blame you."

"I'm not leaving you."

"I hope not... but you can't say that yet. I don't think I'll ever regret anything more than my time dating Octavia."

We met when we were in middle school. Yeah, we've got a lot of history between us. I wanna say we met in some big fancy accident of circumstance or whatever, but we just got seated by each other in class, and got to talking. She was a pretty cool girl, so we spent a lot of time together. We became BFF's, even. Even made the necklaces and stuff. It was so stupid but heck, we were stupid. We were kids. They're all stupid.

It wasn't until high school that we started to realize neither of us were really playing for the right team. Fifteen years old and neither of us were interested in guys. We poked around a bit, because we knew we were supposed to, but after kissing a few I decided I was done with it. Boys just weren't my bag. Now girls... that was where my dreams kept going. Turned out that Octavia felt the same way... I guess maybe that counts as some kind of cosmic coincidence. Some kind of fate. If it was, it was the kind of joke that you wish didn't happen.

We spent years looking for girlfriends until we realized that finding lesbians just around town was nearly impossible. It wasn't until we were halfway through high school that we gave up on that and decided, hey, why are we looking for these total strangers? We already love each other to death, we have a great time together, we're compatible... let's just give it a shot. How could we possibly go wrong hooking up with someone we were already attached to? And who we knew was attached to us?

At first... I won't lie, it was freaking awesome. The makeouts were all kinds of epic, we spent so much time together people started referring to us as one person, and I don't know if it's possible for two people to understand someone else as deeply as we understood each other. At the time I didn't think there was anything that could separate us. I knew everything about her, she knew everything about me, and we were always willing to compromise for each other... at first.

I don't know when it started, but after a while it just kind of lost its spark. I always tried to respect it when she said she wanted a quiet night in, but holy crap did she love sitting around doing nothing. I wanted to go out and party, have a good time with my youth, not sit around a dinner table or snuggling on a couch. But I put up with it, for her sake. Those times I could coax her out of the house she started just sitting at the bar drinking soda while I hit the dance floor. I might get a dance or two out of her, then she'd go right back.

It was so many little things that got between us, I think. The surprise kisses that were so amazing at first just got annoying. We stopped surprising each other at our houses and just set schedules to meet, like freaking business partners. Thinking back... this is probably where we should have called it quits. I didn't want to see her most of the time, but I was obligated. She was my girl. I couldn't just not be there for her.

Around that time was when the fights started. I'd want to go out while she wanted to stay in, we'd have a fight. I wanted pizza while she wanted spaghetti, we'd have a fight. I was busy on a day she wanted to go out, we'd have a fight. It was a few at first... then it just got worse and worse. After a certain point I don't know if we ever even managed to get out of the house, now that I think back again. We just kept coming together and fighting over the stupidest crap.

Yeah, I know, we should have broken up by then. I know we should have... but I felt like that would be wrong. They always say love is hard, don't they? That you can't just quit on it? All relationships have their rough patches, you've just got to power through to the other side. And I was determined to power through to the other side. We had so many good times I just couldn't believe that there were no more left. Maybe she was thinking the same thing... maybe that's why she didn't call it quits either.

We spent at least five months straight just fighting each other. There were brief periods of peace where we managed to sit down at a dinner table and quietly eat, but almost immediately she would start barking at me about not doing the dishes, or being bad at doing the dishes or somesuch bullcrap. Months of her yelling at me, almost every single day, even in the middle of the school hallways we would get into it sometimes. If someone dropped a freaking pencil we would get into it.

One day I remember walking into her house straight into that look on her face and that tone in her voice. I have no idea what she was even saying. I think I was just tuning the whole thing out, waiting for her to stop, but she didn't. She kept going and going and going. I'm not making any excuses when I say I think I finally just... snapped. I wiped the look off of her face with the palm of my hand. The look on her face when she turned back, surprise mixed with rage... I wiped that one off too, this time with a closed fist.

I think the most terrifying part about that day was just how good it felt. I felt amazing looking down at her on the ground, hiding her head with one arm and scooting away from me. Like yeah, bitch, that's what you get for screaming at me for five straight months.

It didn't last long, though. Not after she started crying. That was when I realized it was over. It was done. Nothing could ever be good between us again. I wish I could say I gave some big Hollywood speech about soulmates or something, or did anything at all to cheer her up. I wasn't thinking that clearly. Instead I just said "we're through" and I walked right on out the door.

Octavia and I haven't said a word to each other since.

The chicken sat almost entirely untouched on their plates as Vinyl finished. Soft strings accompanying Carol of the Bells was the only thing to break the silence, as Lemon Zest just peered into Vinyl's face. She could see tears trailing down her cheeks, though their source was still hidden behind those rose-colored glasses. Vinyl Scratch's eyes darted over for the first time since her story began, staring back into her gaze.

"That's the whole truth." Vinyl leaned forward slowly, clasping her hands in front of her. "I punched her in the face as hard as I could because she yelled at me. I'm not making any excuses for it, and Goddess knows I don't think it was justified. It took me months to get over it and get my mojo back. I think I was actually depressed for a while." She took a deep breath and pulled her glasses off with one hand, wiping at her tears with the other. "So what do you think, Lemon? Do you want to walk? Are we through?"

Lemon Zest didn't know how to respond. She felt terrified... not of Vinyl in particular, but of the whole thing. Spending months hating your girlfriend was something she could barely imagine. It sounded impossible... surely she would notice it happening, but Vinyl was no idiot. She was a genius who built her own musical equipment. If even she could fall into such a trap, perhaps Lemon Zest could too. She could be caught up in her own spiral of screaming someday... caught up with Vinyl, driving her slowly insane until she snapped.

But she didn't feel any pressure yet. She loved every moment she spent with Vinyl, and they may not have agreed on every little thing up to now, but she didn't feel any animosity from her. There were no screaming matches she could remember yet. Was she willing to throw this away out of fear it might go bad months down the line?

Lemon Zest scooted closer across the couch and slid both of her arms around Vinyl's neck, pulling her into a gentle hug. "I don't want to leave you, Vinyl. Let's just agree that if we start feeling like that, we'll call it quits. No hard feelings, no fighting, we can just walk away as friends."

Vinyl rested one hand on her bicep, closing her eyes and leaning her cheek into Lemon's chest. "Yeah, trust me... I don't plan on going through that again."

"Have you really not spoken to her at all? You didn't apologize?"

Vinyl huffed derisively. "Some things can't be taken back. That... I think that's definitely one of them."

"That doesn't mean you can't try." Lemon Zest pulled back, bringing a hand off of Vinyl's shoulder to wipe the last tear from her cheek with her thumb. "Maybe it'll help you put it behind you completely..."

Vinyl stared at her blankly for a moment with bloodshot eyes, then pulled her glasses up and slid them into place on her nose. "Alright... I guess it can't hurt to give it a shot, at least."

Lemon smiled warmly and kissed her cheek. "And I'll be right there with you. I promise."

It was a bitter cold wind that blew out from the city into the suburbs below, sending light snowflakes crashing into everything on their kamikaze journey. The moon was peeking out through slits in the cloud cover overhead, joining the bright street lamps to light up the small park, normally grassy but now blanketed in a sheet of white except for the paved sidewalk that wound a circular pattern within it.

Vinyl Scratch's snow boots pounded into the pavement as she walked, feeling Lemon Zest clinging to her arm in a warm, comforting embrace. She couldn't believe Octavia had even agreed to meet her here. But then it was entirely possible she wouldn't show up. Vinyl wouldn't blame her... and if that happened, she would just leave her alone. They had both gone through enough, there was no reason to drag this out.

That didn't come to pass, however. She spotted Octavia just a little further down the path, sitting on one of the benches and holding her thick jacket tightly around herself against the snow. Vinyl cast a sidelong glance at Lemon, who released her arm, but didn't move away from her. There was a warm encouraging smile on her lips that seemed to give Vinyl the extra courage she would need for this.

Vinyl inhaled deeply and let her foggy breath out as she resumed her trek toward the bench. She wasn't far from it when Octavia noticed her, but aside from watching her walk, didn't react. There was already an empty seat on the bench beside her, so Vinyl took it without a word. They sat together for longer than was comfortable, watching the snow fall and build up the snowbank ever so slightly higher.

Octavia finally broke the silence. "I was... surprised when you called."

"I bet..." Vinyl looked down. "Tavi, I don't wanna drag this out. I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"What?" Octavia gave her a surprised look.

"I'm sorry." Vinyl shook her head. "I know it's stupid and doesn't help fix anything but... I just wanted to say it."

"I see..." Octavia trailed off into silence.

When Octavia said nothing more, Vinyl reached into her jacket and pulled a present wrapped in red paper from her pocket, passing it sideways to her. "This is pointless too... but it is close to Hearth's Warming, and I thought I'd get you something."

"Vinyl..." Octavia just stared down at the present.

"I'm not asking for you back. I'm totally into Lemon Zest, and honestly, I think I'd rather choke to death than go through any of that again." Vinyl set the package down on Octavia's knees before climbing to her feet. "I know we can't be friends or anything again either. I guess the last thing I wanted to say is... you know, take care of yourself. You deserve some chick who's into the same things you're into, who'll be happy to give you everything you want. I know it's done wonders for me."

When Octavia said nothing more, Vinyl glanced down at her and gave a small wave. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Tavi." She turned away from the bench to walk back towards Lemon Zest, who was still waiting just outside one of the street lamp beams.

She was almost there when she heard Octavia raise her voice behind her, sounding oddly choked up. "V-Vinyl!"

Vinyl looked back over her shoulder concernedly to see that Octavia had risen to her feet, clutching the package to her stomach. "Yeah?"

Octavia took a deep breath and let it out with her breathy words, "thank you."

Vinyl just smiled, happy once again that her glasses hid her eyes as she waved one more time, then marched back to Lemon Zest, who took her arm once again and fell into step beside her without pause. She hadn't been sure about coming out here to meet Octavia... but she had to admit, Lemon Zest had certainly pointed her in the right direction. They were just that in tune with one-another. Maybe that was what she and Octavia had been missing all along...

( **To be Continue** )


	13. The Real Friendship Games Part I

**A/N: Hello, welcome to another chapter of 'ShadowBolt Adventure' be sure that you will leave me a positive review and press the 'Follow or Favorite' unto the upper left of screen. Also read my fanfic of the second install of 'Equestria Girls' known as Rainbow Rocks leave that also a positive review into the section, hope you guys enjoy the story!**

 **ShadowBolt Adventure: Chapter XII: The Real Friendship Games Part: Bad Blood**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

The snow fell outside the frosted windows, a sharp contrast to the orange warmth of the crackling fireplace behind Twilight Sparkle as she sat in her living room recliner, her feet propped up in front of her with a laptop shining in her face from her lap. She adjusted her glasses with one hand, then went right back to typing with long-practiced ease. The click-clacking of her keys meeting the popping of the log in front of her were the only noises until she heard Spike's tiny feet padding along the carpet on her right side.

"Hey, bwilighb! You gob momefing!" Spike leapt up onto the arm of her chair and opened his jaws, letting two letters fall onto her thigh. "Who are they from!?"

"Hm?" Twilight glanced down at the letter on top and plucked it from her lap. "This one's from Sunny Flare. I wonder why she sent it, we see each other every day..." She carefully pried her fingernails under the envelope's edge and peeled the glue apart, careful to leave the paper intact until she could pull out the letter and scan through it. "Hey, it's an invitation to a Hearth's Warming Eve party! That's great! My first real party with my new friends!"

Spike panted in excitement. "Yeah!? Do you think I can come too!? They're not too far, right!?"

"I'll ask her if pets are allowed." Twilight scratched under his chin with a bright grin, then moved her hand away to pluck the second letter from her lap. "This one's from Applejack! Boy, it sure is a busy night." She carefully pried the envelope open and scanned quickly through the letter. "It's an invitation to my first Hearth's Warming Eve party with my new friends..." Twilight blinked. "Uh-oh..."

"What do you mean? Isn't that great too?" Spike asked.

"Sure, if there were two of me..." Twilight gulped. "Who should I spend the day with? I can't just take a bus back and forth all day."

"Who do you want to spend the day with?" Spike asked.

"Everybody..."

"Then why not tell everybody that!?"

"I can't..." Twilight trailed off slowly, then rubbed her forehead with two fingers. "I can't freak out over every little thing... you're right Spike. I should just gather them all up and see if they want to spend the day together. They're all nice, I'm sure they'll get along just fine." Twilight plucked her phone off of the desk beside the chair and began thumbing out a pair of text messages. "I'll just have them meet at my house tomorrow, and we'll all sit down, have some cocoa, and discuss this like the calm, rational adults we all are."

Twilight wasn't so sure about this anymore, but the invitations had already been sent. She stared out the front window of her house, watching the snow gently drift to the ground around the approaching girl, wrapped in a thick winter jacket and pants. Twilight moved to open the door just as the girl approached it, gesturing her in quickly.

"Hey Sunny, thanks for coming." Twilight smiled broadly.

"Don't mention it." Sunny slipped her thick knit beanie off of her head and shook out her light purple hair. "I don't think you've ever invited us all over before. What's the occasion?"

"I just come over to see you girls so often, I thought it would be nice if we could all get together at my place." Twilight gave a smile she hoped didn't look too forced. "There's a pot of cocoa in the kitchen, feel free to help yourself."

"Thank you, I think I will." Sunny pulled off her scarf as she made her way into the kitchen.

Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself just before the doorbell rung again. One by one the rest of her Crystal Prep friends arrived. Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet, and Lemon Zest. They all seemed to be in light spirits, and Lemon Zest was grinning ear to ear as she sat down at the sofa to pull Spike into her lap and scratch him behind the ears.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you just because I have a dog, little dude." Lemon giggled to herself as Spike's tail wagged so hard it pounded into her bicep.

Sour Sweet dropped onto the sofa beside her, clasping her hands in front of her. "So what are we doing here? Staring at this dog? That sounds like so much fun!"

"I have plenty of movies we can watch." Twilight cast a discreet glance at the clock above the television. It was just about time for the others to arrive, but she still needed to be a good host. "Has everybody seen Freezer?"

Sugarcoat raised one eyebrow. "Is that a rhetorical question?"

"I think it's a requirement to live in this country, at this point." Indigo slung her legs over the arm of the recliner as she plopped down on it, cradling her mug of cocoa in her hands. "You have to know the National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, all of the presidents, and be able to sing Let It Go Already by heart."

Sour Sweet gasped in delight. "Oh I love that song! It's such a wonderful lesson to kids, telling them to $%^# their friends, family, job, and entire life so they can retreat into the mountains and build their only friends out of snow! The movie's about a crazy person!"

"That's right," Sugarcoat agreed. "The whole movie was Orelsa's fevered cold-addled mind creating a better world than the one she spent the whole time freezing to death in."

"Whoa, dude..." Lemon blinked as her jaw dropped. "It all makes sense now... the trolls must've been rock bottom."

Sunny chuckled. "That would explain the rockiness of them."

"This must be shared with the world!" Lemon whipped out her cell phone and began typing furiously with both thumbs.

Indigo scoffed. "If you ask me the trolls were the director literally trolling the audience. That's the only explanation."

Suddenly the sound of an engine pulling into the driveway outside drew all eyes towards the front door. The other five girls all exchanged quick, confused glances as Lemon began counting on her fingers, pointing at each of them in turn.

Lemon muttered, "one, two, three, four, five, six..." Spike whined, and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Seven. Sorry little dude."

"Are we expecting more company?" Sunny asked.

"Uh... maybe." Twilight rubbed the back of her neck with a blush. The knock on the door came moments later, so she moved to open it. Applejack's old work truck sat out in the driveway, with the crew climbing out of it one at a time. Sunset Shimmer was standing in front of the door, giving Twilight a bright smile.

"Hey, Twi. Thanks for inviting us." Sunset stepped into the living room and gave her a firm hug, which Twilight returned. "We don't get out here to see you often e... enough..." Sunset's eyes scanned the living room, where the other girls were staring back with equally confused expressions. When Sunset pulled away from Twilight to look at her face Twilight suddenly had to adjust her glasses very furiously. "Twilight, what did you do?"

"Twilight?" Sunny asked worriedly as she and the other girls moved toward her from the TV. "Is everything okay?"

"Howdy Twilight, sure was nice of you to invite us all out here to see you!" Applejack's deep accent cut through the house and Twilight's nerves, as her thick cowboy boots stomped their way through the doorframe into the living room. "Is everything alright in..." She trailed off immediately as she caught site of the Crystal Prep girls. The other four Canterlot High girls entered behind her, all of them stopping dead to stare, until the entire room plunged into a deep, uncomfortable silence Twilight would give anything to banish.

"Awkwaaaaarrrrd..." Lemon Zest rubbed one arm uncomfortably.

"Twilight?" Sunny Flare put her hands on her hips. "Is there something you'd like to say to us?"

"Yeah, what in tarnation are they doing here?" Applejack asked.

"I know there's still a little animosity over how the Friendship Games ended..." Twilight rubbed her arm with a gulp. "After all, there was no winner, but I don't see any reason you all can't be friends, right? You're all good people, you appreciate friendship, and I know that deep in your hearts, you realize that the end result of the games wouldn't have mattered... so I thought we could get together and talk it out. To put it all behind us, and spend Hearthswarming Eve together."

The silence returned in force, and for a short time, Twilight had hope that it would work. That they really could resolve this silly animosity and share the holiday... but her heart cracked the moment Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"Sure, as soon as they admit that we would have won."

"You didn't win!" Indigo exclaimed. "And if you did, it was by cheating!"

"We cheated? You were the ones who made Twilight destroy the campus trying to cheat!"

Applejack scratched her head. "Yeah, and besides, what're y'all so worked up about it for? You ain't still worked up over Crystal Prep's reputation, are you?"

Sunny fielded this one, "just because Principal Cinch is a jerk who takes things way too far doesn't mean we don't care about our school. We've achieved a lot there, and we have the same pride in our school that you do in yours."

"But do you have parties!?" Pinkie exclaimed.

"We do, sometimes... two or three times a year..." Lemon Zest sighed. "I wish we had more parties."

"No showing weakness, Lemon! Not to them!" Indigo glared across the room at the Canterlot High girls.

"We're not your enemies..." Fluttershy squeaked softly.

Sour Sweet cooed. "Oohhh you are so right! I guess everything I thought was wrong just because butterfly girl said so!" Fluttershy winced and muttered something under her breath, taking a quick step back.

"Don't y'all yell at her!" Applejack took a sharp step forward, only to be met by Indigo in equal stride.

"Don't y'aaawwwwlllll come up here to our turf and start talking crap!" Indigo shouted right in her face.

Twilight buried her face in her palms, her fingers tightening over her bangs. This was going as bad as it could possibly go. This had been a huge mistake, she knew there was still bad blood between them, why did she think that had changed? Maybe she'd just assumed that because they were all nice to her and Sunset Shimmer that they could get along with each other. She was so stupid, and now she didn't know how to stop the yelling that was still going on.

"Hey, everyone SHUT UP!" Sunset Shimmer's scream finally cut through the chaos, bringing the volume in the room down to a less deafening level. "If you all want to pick a fight, that's fine, but don't do it here in Twilight's living room! Take it outside!"

There was silence on the other side of Twilight's hands, until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, and a soft voice speak. "Twilight?"

Twilight slowly lowered her trembling hands, looking up at her gathered friends over her fingertips. Sunset had a comforting hand on her shoulder, and everyone else was watching her with expressions of mixed guilt and worry.

Twilight took a few deep breaths to make sure she could speak without choking up. "I-I'm sorry everyone. I got party invitations from both of you and I just... wanted to spend Hearthswarming Eve with all of my friends... but it was stupid, and I've just messed up again. Maybe I won't come to either party this year..."

Spike padded up to her feet. "But you were so psyched about spending the holiday with your friends, Twilight."

Twilight wiped a tear from her eye. "Well sometimes things don't happen the way we want."

"You don't have to spend the holiday alone, Twi." Rainbow Dash smirked and turned back toward the Crystal Prep girls. "Because I know how we can decide who you party down with."

Sunny Flare lifted a curious eyebrow. "Is that right? Do tell."

"It's time to settle the score!" Rainbow pointed dramatically at the other girls. "Us five against you five in the real Friendship Games! Winners get Twilight Sparkle to spend the holiday with them!"

"What!?" Twilight gasped.

Indigo punched one of her palms with a bright grin. "I like the sound of that!"

"That sounds like fun!" Pinkie Pie agreed energetically. "As long as it stays fun this time!"

"I'll destroy you all!" Sour Sweet agreed.

"But wait one second." Sunny Flare held up one finger. "The Friendship Games need to have an impartial referee."

"I bet Sunset Shimmer could do it!" Rarity nudged her friend. "She doesn't care much for school competitions."

"Yeah, that could work." Sunny nodded. "She's a friend to both of our groups, now. Does anyone object?" Sour Sweet's hand shot up. "Sour Sweet?"

Sour Sweet spoke through gritted teeth. "I just... can't not hate her! She looks too much like the jerk from school!"

"Ahehe..." Sunset Shimmer shrugged through her slightly pink cheeks. "Not a whole lot I can do about that, I'm afraid. But Rarity's right anyway, I'm not really into big competitions. I don't want to referee your Friendship Games or whatever."

"That's exactly why we would trust you with it," Sugarcoat pointed out. "Someone who doesn't give a crap about the result would have no reason to favor one side or the other."

"Please? You'd be doing us all a huge favor, here." Rarity batted her eyelashes with a gentle hand on her arm.

Sunset Shimmer's eyes scanned the gathered groups, all watching her with penetrating, expectant stares. "Alright, fine." Sunset Shimmer gave them a small smile. "I'll come up with some games you guys can play. We can meet at Sweet Apple Acres, there'll be plenty of room in the barn to have the games instead of doing it out in the snow."

"It's agreed." Sunny turned back to Rainbow Dash and held out her hand. Rainbow stared down at her hand for a moment, then reached out to take it in a firm shake. "May the best friends win."

"We will, but try to have fun anyway." Rainbow Dash gave her a crooked grin, then pulled her hand back and turned to leave. Her fingers snapped and jerked toward the door, gesturing for her friends to follow. The others all exchanged wary glances, then shared a chuckle as they followed Rainbow Dash outside toward Applejack's work truck.

Sour Sweet stuck her tongue out after Rainbow Dash. "We'll kick your butts later!"

Twilight Sparkle was still trying to process all of this as Sunny Flare approached her. "Hey, relax... it's not that serious." Sunny's hand nudged her arm companionably, but Twilight was so stiff she barely moved. Instead Sunny turned to Sunset and leaned in to whisper into the red-haired girl's ear.

"Don't worry, I got her," Sunset mumbled back in a low voice before speaking more loudly. "You girls relax in the meantime. I'll hammer out the details." Sunset waved at each of their friends as they passed. As Sour Sweet passed she gave Sunset a sharp glare and pointed at her eyes, narrowed her lids, and kept their eyes locked as she slowly made her way out the front door.

Once they were gone Sunset turned back to Twilight, moving fully in front of her and leaning down to meet her slightly downcast eyes. "You doing okay there, Twi?"

"No... this isn't what I wanted at all." Twilight's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I wanted them to spend the holiday together as friends, but all I did was start the fighting up again. I feel like the worst friend in the world..."

"Hey, come on, don't beat yourself up." Sunset Shimmer gave her a reassuring smile. "I promise by the time this is all over, they'll be laughing and talking over hot cocoa by your fireplace."

"How can you say that? All they did was yell at each other..."

"I wouldn't say that..." Sunset Shimmer pulled her smaller friend into a comforting hug, stroking her back with one hand. "Have I let you down yet, Twilight?"

Twilight accepted the hug with open arms and shook her head. "No..."

"Then trust me. I'll do everything in my power to keep the peace." Sunset Shimmer pulled back and gave her an enthusiastic wink. "I already have a few ideas... I just might need a little help with them..."

( **To be Continue** )


	14. The Real Friendship Games Part II

**A/N: Hello, everyone, welcome back to another chapter of 'ShadowBolt Adventure'. Hope you will enjoy this one!**

 **ShadowBolt Adventure: Chapter XIII: The Real Friendship Games Part II: Let The Games Begin**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

Twilight Sparkle couldn't decide exactly how uncomfortable she was. On one hand, she was surrounded by everybody she considered a friend, and even had Spike clenched tightly in her arms. On the other, Sunset Shimmer had disappeared outside of Applejack's barn somewhere while the Wondercolts and Shadowbolts glared at one-another from across the room. Aside from Rarity, who was standing close fiddling with the second reason she was so uncomfortable, the glittering golden dress that flowed from Twilight's shoulders all the way down to her feet like some kind of fairy tale princess. She couldn't believe the detail on this dress, she even had a cane clutched in one hand that looked like solid gold, though she couldn't tell for sure.

Twilight gulped and finally asked the important question. "Is this really necessary, Rarity?"

"Necessary? Of course not." Rarity waved off the question with one hand. "But you're the reason we're all here darling, you'd might as well look the part!"

Sunny Flare approached with one hand on her hip. "Look the part of what, an actual trophy?"

"Oh psh-pfft." Rarity waved the Shadowbolt off with one hand. "What lady wouldn't want to look fabulous when she's being lavished with such attention?"

"I really don't feel like I'm getting that much attention..." Twilight's blush deepened.

"Nonsense! Now come stand on this pedestal I brought for you." Rarity took her hands and guided her to a small wooden platform that was painted gold to match her dress. She pulled Twilight onto it, then stepped back and clasped her hands in front of her. "Glorious! How do you feel?"

"Kind of like a department store mannequin..." Twilight forced a chuckle.

"Hmmm... you know, you'd be prettier without these." Rarity reached up and pulled the glasses off of her face, gasping in delight as she stepped back. "Perfect!"

Twilight squinted at the snow-white blur that had suddenly appeared in front of her. "Um... not to second-guess you Rarity, but I'd like to see the games..."

"Of course you would." Sunny's voice moved closer, and moments later Twilight's glasses her placed back on her nose. Sunny turned to wave her hands at Rarity. "Now you, shoo. Leave her alone."

"Well I never!" Rarity stepped back, then forward again in righteous indignation. "I was just making things more fabulous!"

"You're making her uncomfortable!" Sunny got right in Rarity's face, but the fashionista didn't back down.

Twilight felt herself freezing up again, her arms tightening until she heard Spike whimper in pain. Immediately she relaxed her arms, leaning down to whisper in Spike's raised ear. "Sorry, Spike, I'm just really nervous... I don't see how Sunset Shimmer can make these girls stop fighting."

"She's done a lot for us already. I guess we're just gonna have to trust her," Spike whispered back. "She knows best..."

"I sure hope so... and I hope she does it soon..." No sooner did Twilight finish speaking than the overhead lights dangling from the roof suddenly cut out, plunging the group into the darkness of the night that had fallen outside. There was a surprised murmur among the gathered girls until they all went silent as a powerful spotlight came on from the door.

Sunset Shimmer stood silhouetted in the light, clad in what looked like a magician's tuxedo, leaning against a cane she held in one hand and holding a top hat on her head with the other. The spotlight behind her widened its beam to light the room, giving the girls a more clear vision of her before she sprang to life, lifting a microphone to her lips. Her voice seemed to echo from hidden speakers within, or perhaps just outside, the sturdy wooden walls.

"Welcome ladies and gentlepuppies to a very special Friendship Games!" Sunset whirled her cane beside her as she approached the group. "You're all gathered here for one reason, to win the time and attention of Twilight Sparkle, best friend to us all! The sad truth is that there's only one Twilight Sparkle..." Sunset nodded solemnly behind the end of her cane, then sprang to life once more. "So we're gonna fight for our friend and fix this problem, aren't we!?"

The other girls except for Twilight gathered around her, hooting in agreement and pumping their fists into the air. Twilight didn't want to move from her pedestal where Rarity put her. She wasn't really a part of this, after all... even though she was the reason everybody was here.

"We have five challenges tonight for two contestants apiece! Each of you will compete in one challenge, so choose your representative for each one carefully! This is a best of five, so whoever wins three rounds takes the Friendship Games and the hand of our lovely princess!" Sunset Shimmer marched confidently over to Twilight, taking her hand into the air and giving her a wink. Twilight could only blush, her brain drawing a complete blank for any response. "So everybody to your corners and decide who's going to be competing in round one!"

"Alright!" Indigo Zap and Rainbow Dash nearly mirrored one-another's sentiments as they rushed to each side of the spacious barn, which had been cleared of most of its hay and animals for the duration of the games. It was just them, plenty of floor space, and evidently, walls filled with speakers and specially installed lighting displays that came on to shine straight onto each group of whispering girls.

"How did you set all of this up?" Twilight finally found her presence of mind enough to question Sunset Shimmer. "Now that I think about it, how are you controlling all of these things from inside?"

"I got a little help from school." Sunset winked.

"Oh..." Twilight gulped. "I don't get it. Isn't building up the competition like this only going to make them more competitive? That's the opposite of what I wanted."

"Twilight..." Sunset's head jerked around when the two groups of girls dispersed and approached one-another. "Just trust me."

Sunset rushed back out to step between the two groups, lifting her mic to her lips again. "So what will it be girls? Who's stepping into the arena first?"

"I'm taking the first one." Rainbow Dash stepped forward with a cocky grin. "You girls can choose who's gonna lose."

"You talk a lot, but I'm gonna put a stop to that once we get started." Indigo Zap stepped forward with her arms folded in front of her.

"We have our competitors! Bystanders, clear the area!" Sunny swept her arm across the barn, and the rest of the girls cleared out the center of the barn, moving over to the walls. "Assistant! Let's get our first competition set up in here!"

There was a brief mumble of confusion before the lights from outside the barn doors began to move closer, and the sound of a roaring engine echoed through the structure. The interior lights of the barn flared to life, revealing Vinyl Scratch riding on her massive wheeled speaker system. It suddenly began spitting out racing hurdles like staples from a staple-gun, which slammed into the wooden floors and embedded themselves upright in a wide pattern around the barn.

"Vinyl!" Lemon Zest jumped up and waved her arms. "Hey baby! Good to see you!"

Rainbow Dash shouted from the center of the room. "No flirting with the organizers!"

"Oh you hush up! She's an assistant, not the ref!" Lemon shouted back. Vinyl responded with a grin, a thumbs up, and a wiggy wiggy woooooo scratch on her turntable.

Sunset's voice echoing from the wall speakers cut off any further arguments. "As you may have guessed, the first challenge is a hundred meter dash! Racers will start here, and run three laps around the course! Skip any hurdles, and you lose! Touch each other, and you lose! We're running a good clean race here, ladies!"

Rainbow stuck out her chest. "Yeah, yeah, I don't need to knock her out to win! Dash is my middle name!"

Indigo snickered. "Rainbow Dash Dash? That just sounds like an old dance."

"Yeah... you... shut up!"

"Racers take your positions!" Sunset barked through her microphone. Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap squeaked and rushed to move where Sunset indicated, right in front of the first hurdle. Sunset raised a white flag high overhead. "Begin in three... two... one... go!" She brought the flag down and the racers were off.

Indigo Zap took an early lead as a pounding bass beat began to echo throughout the barn. Vinyl Scratch bobbed in time to the beat while the rest of those gathered began hooting and shouting for their racer to finish first. The room was full of lively energy, Twilight had to admit. It felt like a real competition, despite them being the only ones there. She just wasn't sure what Sunset Shimmer meant to accomplish by this. The gathered crowd was only getting more rowdy as the racers leapt nimbly over each hurdle, clearing the first lap in very short order.

"Yeah! Go Indigo!" "You can do it! Just focus!" "You're losing! Run faster!" The shouts from the Crystal Prep corner of the barn rose above the beat of Vinyl's race music.

"You've got 'er on the ropes!" "You're the dashiest, Dash!" "Yaaaaay." The shouts from the CHS side of the barn were almost as loud aside from Fluttershy, who was almost completely drowned out by the music.

The second lap finished with Rainbow Dash in the lead, but Indigo Zap was straining to catch up. Her teeth gritted and her arms pumped at her sides as she slowly closed the distance between them. They were rounding the last turn into the final stretch of the course as Indigo Zap caught up, pacing Rainbow Dash for two hurdles before they reached the last one, right in front of the finish line. She leapt to the air with all her strength, her ankle slammed into the top of the hurdle.

"Gaaahhhhh!" Indigo Zap screamed in surprise as her body flipped forward, slamming her face into the floor and sending her tumbling as Rainbow Dash darted straight across the finish line. The white flag waved through the air as Indigo slid to a stop on her back with her feet just inches from the white line. "Uuuugh..."

The others all ran up to stand around her, looking worried down at her. Twilight wanted to join them, but there were a lot of people out there, and Rarity had wanted her to stay put. They could take care of Indigo.

"You know..." Sugarcoat mused. "You probably should've jumped about three inches higher."

"Gee, you think...?" Indigo grunted as Sunny and Sour Sweet grabbed her arms to heft her from the floorboards.

"Rainbow Dash wins!" Sunset's voice announced over the speakers as a powerful victorious horn section echoed alongside her. The roar from the CHS students was met with the groans from the CPA students, though Rainbow Dash did break off from the crowd to approach Indigo Zap.

"Come back after some practice." Rainbow punched her lightly on the shoulder with a grin. "You weren't terrible, you're just not as good as me. Don't take it personally, nobody is as good as me."

"Yeah, keep talking." Indigo smirked back. "If I cleared that hurdle I would've had you."

"Maybe we'll find out some other time." Rainbow Dash winked and turned to rejoin her classmates on their side of the barn.

"After a thrilling round one, the score stands at one to zero!"

"What else would it be after round one...?" Sugarcoat mused softly.

Sunset continued. "Vinyl, if you'll do the honors!" Sunset whipped her hand dramatically toward the towering speaker machine at the barn entrance. A powerful vibration flowed through the barn, and soon the hurdles that had been set up went flying back towards the top of the machine, vanishing back into its mechanical folds. "Teams, choose your next competitors!"

The two teams split up while Sunset made her way over to Vinyl, whispering with her in hushed tones. Twilight Sparkle's gaze darted between each of the three groups, only growing more uneasy at how far apart they all were.

"Are you okay Twilight?" Spike was looking up at her face from her arms with a worried look. "You should try to relax, I mean, everyone else is relaxed."

"Are they? They're competing with each other! How relaxed could they be?" Twilight shivered. "They're competing with each other over me... ugh, I wish I'd just been able to make a decision! This is my problem, not theirs!"

Her attention was pulled back to the center of the barn when Sunset Shimmer's voice echoed from the wall speakers again. "The competitors have been chosen!" Twilight hesitated to look, but she finally forced herself to see Rarity and Sugarcoat standing in the middle of the barn, facing off with sour looks on their faces. "Rarity, Sugarcoat, it's time for the intellectual portion of our contest, the trivia round!"

Sunset Shimmer flipped her right hand up beside her and several white cards popped out of her tuxedo sleeve. "On these cards I have a variety of questions to ask each of you. The first girl to answer a question wrong will be disqualified, just like a spelling bee."

"One miss and we're done?" Sugarcoat peered at Rarity through the lenses of her glasses. "Good. I hate dragging out funerals."

"Well if you're going to be like that there's no way I'm letting you win!" Rarity clenched her fist. "Bring it on!"

Sunset Shimmer cleared her throat before continuing in a strong official announcer voice. "Question one. Sugarcoat, what is the capital city of the Northlands?"

"Griffonstone." Sugarcoat responded without hesitation.

"Rarity, the colors on the official flag of Griffonstone."

"Brown, white, and gold."

"The total population of Gallopvania!"

"Twenty two thousand thirty six... wait, seven now."

"How many licks to the center of a tootsie roll pop?"

"Two hundred and fifty two, on average."

"How many bees are in the average hive?"

"Roughly forty-five thousand, depending on how frisky the queen gets."

Twilight Sparkle had to admit, she was impressed with the smoothness and correctness of the answers. She knew Sugarcoat was her intellectual partner, but she'd always underestimated Rarity, it seemed. As the questions droned on for quite a while, the tension in the air was growing thicker, aided perhaps by the long tense note that Vinyl began pumping through the speakers, giving the air of a game show getting more intense.

"Rarity, how many babies will the average rabbit give birth to in its lifetime?"

"About a thousand... also ewe."

"How large on average is a human male's bicep?"

"Fourteen inches. And thank you for not taking that where I thought you were."

"How many shoes do women own on average?"

"Twenty-seven, and all totally necessary."

"How fast does a person's hair grow?"

"Half an inch a month."

"What is the most popular television show on right now?"

Rarity opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her mouth slowly closed as her eyes glazed over, then she hung her head. "I have no idea..."

"Seriously!?" Rainbow Dash screamed from the sidelines.

"I don't watch television."

"Sugarcoat wins!"

The roar from the Shadowbolts drowned out the victory fanfare from Vinyl's speakers as Rarity's shoulders slumped at her sides.

Sugarcoat approached her fallen competitor. "Actually, I probably wouldn't have known that one. I don't watch television either."

"Thank you!" Rarity exclaimed "Who watches television these days? Whoever made those cards needs to get with the times, we have the internet now."

"I made the cards," Sunset Shimmer revealed.

"Oh... uh..." Rarity patted her shoulder. "And what lovely cards they were. I... I like the font you used!"

Sugarcoat smirked. "And they say I lack tact."

Sunset Shimmer lifted her mic to her lips. "Teams, pick the next contestants!" Rarity squeaked and rushed back to her corner while Sugarcoat made her way back to her own, meeting up with her team to discuss the next contest.

Twilight Sparkle was snuggling her puppy against her chest with all her might as she watched them whisper heatedly among themselves. Well, at least that one hadn't been so bad, she thought to herself. A little trivia contest was all in good fun, like a board game they could play on a slow Saturday night. Maybe Sunset Shimmer had thought ahead and made the rest of the games that way. Then they could have fun together without such intense competition...

Twilight took another deep breath as Fluttershy and Sour Sweet broke away from their respective corners pretty quickly, approaching Sunset Shimmer in the middle of the room.

"And we're keeping this party moving! I like it! Are you two all fired up?"

"#$%^ yeah!" Sour Sweet grinned enthusiastically with a clenched fist.

"Um... yes," Fluttershy whispered barely above the sound of Vinyl's muted car engine.

"You better get ready for this one, because it's gonna be the most intense game yet!" Sunset Shimmer whirled back towards Vinyl's car, where a massive monitor was lifting out of the top of the machine. It flared to life, millions of colors swirling around one-another in a beautiful cascade of colors until it finally began to slow and solidify into the form of a square checkered board with familiar pieces sitting in some of the squares. "It's time for chess!"

The room fell quiet for a moment before Rainbow Dash quipped. "Really?"

"What?" Sunset Shimmer glanced around the room. "Come on, it's the ultimate game of wits and strategy! Don't tell me I'm the only one here who likes Chess."

Twilight raised one hand from her pedestal. "I like Chess."

Sour Sweet squealed in delight. "Oh I love Chess too! Adrenaline, fun, and excitement are for losers."

Sunset Shimmer sighed. "Well I don't have any other games lined up so you're just gonna have to play. I assume you know how, at least?" The two girls nodded. "Good, let's get this started." Sunset slipped a coin out of her sleeve and flipped it into the air in front of her. "Sour Sweet, call it."

"Butts."

Sunset snatched it out of the air and slapped it down on her wrist. "Tails it is, you're up first."

This was the first game played all evening that Twilight Sparkle was genuinely interested in watching, but unfortunately her enthusiasm clearly wasn't shared by her friends. Yawns were spreading among the girls like an airborne plague, even Sour Sweet wouldn't stop grumbling and mumbling to herself as she told Vinyl where she wanted the pieces to move to. Sunset Shimmer was standing off to one side with a nervous blush on her cheeks.

"So... what are you ladies doing after this is done?" Rarity called across the room.

"Probably dragging Twilight back to our evil lair for cookies," Sunny Flare shrugged.

"Hah, you still think you're winning." Rainbow Dash snickered. "I'll have you know Fluttershy is really smart. She can win this game easily."

"She has made five misplays already," Sugarcoat quipped.

Fluttershy squeaked from the center of the room, but Applejack hollered encouragement. "Don't listen to her sugar, you're doin' fine."

"It doesn't matter, Sour Sweet's totally gonna win!" Indigo grinned.

"It doesn't even matter if she does! We're winning the whole thing!" Rainbow Dash countered.

"I could beat you at anything right here, right now!"

"Rock, paper scissors! Let's go!"

"You're on!" The two girls approached each other in the center of the room behind the two competitors to begin their game.

"Go Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie bounced up behind her friend with a pair of pom-poms. "You can do it, I know you can, you can do it, because you're the man! Philosophically speaking."

Rainbow glared back over her shoulder. "Is that a gay joke?"

Rarity approached with a smirk. "It's Pinkie Pie, do you think it is?"

"Good point." Rainbow Dash turned back toward Indigo Zap and clenched her fists. "Best two out of three?"

"Works for me!" Indigo raised her fists. "I'm gonna cream you!"

Sunny Flare rubbed her forehead as she approached. "Um, you girls do realize the Chess match isn't over, right?"

Sugarcoat moved closer to the impending Rock, Paper, Scissors match. "Frankly this is more interesting. Don't get me wrong, I like Chess well enough, but only when I'm involved. Watching Chess is like watching gardening. It's only interesting if you're involved."

Rainbow Dash stared in surprise. "Did you just burn yourself?"

"I've never denied my nerdiness." Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses. "I'm just capable of identifying bad ideas when I see them."

"Okay, okay, I get it! I'm sorry I picked this one!" Sunset Shimmer huffed.

"You should be," Sugarcoat nodded.

"On three!" Rainbow Dash held her hands in front of her. "One, two-"

"Hah! I won! Hooray!" Sour Sweet pumped her arms into the air and gave a delighted squeal, then whirled on Fluttershy. "Suck it!"

"Aw man, I was just about to kick her butt." Indigo Zap grumbled.

"Well you two had your fun already, so why don't you all go back to your corners and pick the next challengers? The score is one to two in favor of the Shadowbolts." Sunset Shimmer was in slightly lesser spirits as the girls reluctantly returned to their sides of the barn. Twilight had half a mind to go out there and comfort the poor girl, but it felt like her glittery shoes were glued to the pedestal. She barely knew what was happening here, she didn't want to mess up Sunset's plans.

Sunset Shimmer was visibly composing herself while the two sides debated who to send out next, straightening her tux and taking deep, steadying breaths. She was back to her enthusiastic persona by the time Applejack and Sunny Flare broke off from the crowds to approach her.

"Sunny Flare versus Applejack in the penultimate showdown!" Sunset Shimmer lifted her hand dramatically in front of her. "Take your corners and put your game faces on, because it's time to fight! Two enter the ring, one walks back out! But remember, this is a game, so any major injuries are immediate disqualification! The first combatant to take their opponent to the ground for five seconds will be declared the winner! Now get ready!"

The two girls retreated to their sides of the barn, where the others helped them get ready for battle. Twilight Sparkle felt like she was going to faint, but feeling Spike's warmth against her chest was just enough comfort to keep her from completely wigging out. When Sunset Shimmer made her way over she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"How are you holding up, Twi?" Sunset asked.

"Holding up?" Twilight gasped. "They're going to fight? Like physically fight? How is that going to bring them closer as friends? That didn't happen when I made any of my friends! None of this makes any sense to me!"

"Twilight, calm down." Sunset Shimmer gripped her shoulders roughly. "Please just trust me. Maybe we had a little hiccup a few minutes ago, but I know I can do this. We can't give up on it yet."

"Just... are you sure about this, Sunset?"

"You know me, Twi. Would I be doing this if I wasn't?"

"No..." Twilight shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Then just sit back, relax, and watch the rest of the show. Only two more events left and we can chill out for the rest of the night." She winked before looking back over her shoulder. "Looks like they're about ready. I'll see you when this is all over." She rushed back into the center of the barn.

Twilight gulped and cast her gaze toward the Crystal Prep corner. Sunny Flare had taken off her jacket, and undershirt, wearing a loose but light tank top underneath. Her body was curvy and somewhat thin, but Twilight Sparkle knew that she regularly attended martial arts classes. If any Shadowbolt was ready for a fight, it was Sunny Flare.

She had her arms up, letting Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest slide a pair of boxing gloves on her hands while Indigo Zap hovered around her shoulder. "You're gonna win!" Indigo Zap insisted. "You're gonna wrap this up like a Hearth's Warming present! You're gonna cream her like cheese! You're gonna-"

"I know what I'm going to do, thank you." Sunny took a breath and punched her boxing gloves together once they were secure.

"Just watch out for those muscles." Sugarcoat looked across the way at her opponent. "She looks like she could bench-press a horse and snap you in half. At the same time."

Indigo Zap rolled her eyes. "Dude, that's not encouragement!"

"It wasn't meant to be."

Twilight turned her gaze to the other girls, only to see how true Sugarcoat's statement was. Applejack had also taken off her jacket and undershirt, leaving her in a loose-fitting tank top. Her body looked like it was fit for a starring role in an action movie, with every inch of her torso covered in muscles that rippled with every movement of her arms. When she lifted her arms to let Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash put her gloves on, Twilight could even see her chiseled, rock hard abs.

"Just be careful you don't break her AJ. We don't need to forfeit." Rainbow Dash snickered.

"I ain't here to hurt nobody." Applejack shook her head, then stopped and shook her head again. She glanced behind her back at Rarity. "Rarity, did you put earrings on me?"

Rarity huffed. "Whaaaat? Is there a rule that says you can't look fabulous when you win?" Applejack didn't alter her glare, but Rarity soon sighed and moved toward her again. "Fine, you can look like a boy when you stand victorious over her."

"Uh, yeah, this shirt does not make her look like a boy." Rainbow Dash cackled. "Or do we need to have 'the talk'?"

"Oh hush, that's not what I meant."

Applejack stood up and stretched her arms over her head, her muscles rippling with every motion. "Well, we should get this hoedown started."

In the other corner, Sugarcoat turned to Sunny Flare. "Can I have your book collection after this is over?"

"No." Sunny moved past her toward the center of the barn, where Applejack and Sunset Shimmer were gathering as well.

Sunset's voice echoed from the speakers. "Applejack, are you ready?"

Applejack put one foot behind her and put her gloved fists up in front of her face. "Ready and waitin'."

"Sunny Flare, are you ready?"

Sunny turned sideways and dropped into a half-crouch, one hand by her stomach and the other just in front of her chin. "Ready."

Sunset Shimmer raised her white flag between them. "This is it! One round fall! It's time for Mortaaaalll Kombaaaat!" The flag cut between them and Sunset hurried to back away from them. A powerful techno-beat began echoing from the walls around them, drowning the entire cabin in almost palpable energy.

Applejack stepped forward with her guard up, her boots shuffling across the thick wood. "Nobody'll blame you for givin' up right now, sugar."

"I don't give up on people important to me."

"That makes two of us. Let's do this, then!" Applejack took a step forward with a strong right straight punch, but Sunny Flare dipped under her arm so fast she didn't even have time to pull her arm back before two solid blows landed on her gut and Sunny danced away behind her. "Ooouff! Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, huh? You remember I tried to be nice!"

"I didn't ask you to." Sunny Flare bobbed back and forth with a light step, her toes tapping on the wood as the two faced off once again. The next exchange was started by Sunny, who jerked to her right, then swung left and slammed a glove into Applejack's shoulder as she passed, a second blow connecting with her waist as she moved around behind the farmgirl. Applejack whirled the other way however, bringing her giant punch around with surprising speed, and only missing the martial artist by inches as she turned slightly and leaned back to avoid it like she was in a movie.

Sunny wrapped both arms around Applejack's and spun inward toward her stomach before jerking her forward in a solid hip-toss that sent the farmgirl sprawling out on her back. Her muscular mass made a thumping sound so loud it made Twilight, and the rest of the gathered girls, wince. Sunny danced away again as Applejack groaned and rubbed her head, where her hat had been moments before.

"One! Two! Three!" Sunset Shimmer began to count, but Applejack jerked quickly up into a sitting position and climbed to her knees, kneeling for several long moments and just glaring at Sunny.

"Nobody'll blame you for giving up right now... sugar." Sunny Flare winked.

Applejack lumbered to her feet with a wry smirk on her face and put her gloves up again. The two girls approached one-another cautiously, Applejack's waist jerking from one side to the other, but Sunny didn't fall for any of the feints. The tense face-off showed no signs of ending for several minutes before Sunny lunged suddenly, lowering her body and hurling herself towards Applejack's stomach, but the larger girl was, once again, faster than she looked.

Applejack's arms locked around Sunny's waist, grabbing her before she could connect with her stomach, and hefted the smaller girl clean off of the ground. Applejack straightened up and slung her arms back behind her head, sending Sunny hurtling end over end through the air like a child's toy until she hit the floor in a stunned heap, rolling for a good two feet before coming to a stop.

"And she's finished," Sugarcoat noted from the sidelines.

"One, two, three, four, five! Applejack wins!" Sunset Shimmer raised an arm towards Applejack.

Twilight moved to leap from her pedestal, but she stopped when she realized Applejack was already kneeling beside the downed girl, her gloves already dropped to the wooden floor as she rubbed Sunny's shoulders until she began to stir.

"Hey, you alright, there?" Applejack gripped her shoulders as Sunny began to stir and lifted her head. "Sorry 'bout that, I tried not to make you tumble too much."

"Heh, I'm alright... just a bit winded." Sunny grunted as she pushed herself up, Applejack's hands helping her climb back to her feet and steady herself. "Thank you. You really caught me off-guard. You're pretty fast when you want to be."

"I had to give it my best to keep up with you." Applejack punched her shoulder lightly. "Like trying to nail a lizard with a rubber band gun."

"Maybe things will go differently next time." With a ghost of a smile, Sunny turned to walk back toward her group, who greeted her with expressions and questions of concern that she brushed off casually.

"This is it folks! The Friendship Games are nearing their end with the final event!" Sunset Shimmer approached Vinyl's car as she exclaimed excitedly into her microphone. "Pinkie Pie, Lemon Zest, are you two ready!?"

"Nope!" Pinkie Pie pulled a giant crimson letter out of her pocket as she approached. "This is Red E!"

"Haaaahahahaha!" Lemon Zest laughed for a moment before suddenly seeming to catch herself and cross her arms over her stomach. "I mean... yeah I'm ready! You're going down! Grrrr!"

Pinkie Pie beamed at Lemon Zest's laugh and let the letter fall from her fingers. "I'm not going down, I'm going that way!" She pointed toward Vinyl's speaker machine. "I think?"

"That's right, Pinkie Pie!" Sunset Shimmer swept her cane grandly toward Vinyl's machine as it once again began to shift in front of them, the panels on either side opening up into two massive arcade machines with glowing screens on top and pads that extended outward on the floor, and cameras coming out of the top. Driving music began pumping from the walls as various colored fruits fell through the screens. "Beetmania fifteen! So get ready to do the Rainbow Dash Dash!"

Laughter bubbled out of the entire crowd except for Rainbow Dash, who blushed and rolled her eyes. "Hardy har..."

"Ladies, take your positions!" Sunset Shimmer swept grandly out of the way so the two girls could move into position in front of each screen. The music from the speakers fell silent and the fruit slid off-screen as a different tune began to start up. "Two enter, one gets the highest score and scores a point for their team! Vinyl, take it away!"

Vinyl Scratch grinned with a thumbs up as the screens cleared and a different tune began reverberating throughout the room. The first patterns slid down the screen in the shape of a human body and both girls struck the pose just as it reached their side of the screen, their motions being captured by the cameras overhead. Their heels tapped on the pads and their bodies rocked as the opening notes began.

I feel it stirring deep down inside my soul.

The rhythm's taken hold.

And it's about to roll.

A million sparkles falling across the floor

So DJ give me more.

It's what we're looking for.

Pinkie Pie and Lemon Zest were moving together across the dance pads, their arms making large, graceful sweeps through the air as they spun in time with the beat and the images on screen. The two were in such perfect sync that Twilight could easily believe they had rehearsed this routine.

Dance the night away.

All our friends right by our side.

It doesn't matter what style you bring.

We're about to go on that ride.

As the beat picked up the girls began to groove with the music, their bodies moving in nearly perfect unison as their arms pumped and waved, and their legs slid smoothly across the play mats. In her machine Vinyl Scratch was bouncing back and forth with her arm pumping in front of her, and on the floor surrounding the dance machines even Twilight Sparkle could feel the palpable excitement and energy surrounding the rest of the girls, whose bodies were moving with the rhythm.

She could barely believe what she was seeing. The two groups of girls weren't separated anymore. they were bunched around the machines, their fists pumping excitedly into the air heedless of who was right beside them. The hooting and hollering almost drowned out the pounding techno beat, and the two girls in the center looked like they were having the time of their lives. Pinkie and Lemon both had wide grins on their faces, and even changed some moves by clapping hands between them during a spin.

Dance magic.

And it's electric.

Let your body move to the music.

Pinkie and Lemon both raised their hands to the sky in front of them as the final notes of the song faded out, their chests heaving with labored breath despite the grins on their lips. The machine lit up in front of them, a flash of white that drowned out the fruits behind the note track for a few moments before two scores appeared on the screen in bold black lettering. Two identical scores.

"And we have a tie!" Sunset Shimmer exclaimed into the mic. "Two perfect scores! Well done, ladies!"

"Woohoo!" Lemon and Pinkie leapt past each other with a vigorous high-five, landing on each-other's dance pads.

"Wait..." Lemon stood up and growled. "I mean, grrrr, I was gonna win! Recount!"

"Recount? It's a machine! There's nothing to count!" Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"But this doesn't actually solve anything," Sugarcoat pointed out. "There's still only one Twilight Sparkle, and two groups of us."

Twilight bit her lip. She was right of course, this only made things worse...

She was terrified that another argument was fixing to break out, but Applejack stepped forward before it could, one hand clenching the towel around her shoulders. "Well, how 'bout we get out of this drafty barn and talk 'bout this over some nice warm cider in my house? All of us?"

Sunny Flare glanced around at her friends for a moment, then stepped forward with a nod and a smile. "I think that sounds lovely, thank you."

Twilight stared blankly as the girls moved to gather up their jackets, laughing and making light comments as they prepared to head out into the dark, snowy night outside of the barn. The lights from Vinyl's speaker car dimmed, but didn't go out as it folded in on itself, becoming once again the wheeled vehicle it had begun as so that its driver could climb out and join the others. Lemon greeted her with a squeal and a hug while the group, as one, made its way outside.

Sunset Shimmer approached Twilight with a grin. "Did I tell you I'd take care of everything or what?"

"I..." Twilight squeaked under her breath. "I'm so confused."

"You were right, Twilight, they're all good girls with a lot in common. They just needed to work out their frustration and break the ice with some good old fashioned playing around." Sunset took one of her hands and pulled her from the pedestal. "I think I made a pretty good hostess, if I say so myself. Maybe I can quit my job and take that on. Sunset Shimmer, Magic Investigator and Competition Organizer!"

"Heh, maybe..." Twilight grinned and leaned against her, throwing her arms around her in a tight hug. Spike dropped to the floor just time to avoid squishing. "Thank you so much..."

"Now come on, that dress looks really beautiful on you, but it doesn't look all that warm."

Twilight blushed. "It's kind of not, actually."

"Here." Sunset slipped off the jacket of her tux and threw it around Twilight's shoulders. "We'll hurry to the house."

"Right... thank you..." Twilight let Sunset Shimmer take her by the shoulders and lead her out into the snow and towards the house, where the others were just piling their way inside.


	15. The Real Friendship Games Part III

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoy the third part of this story so called 'ShadowBolt Adventure', also please read my second installment of the movie 'Equestria Girls' known as Rainbow Rocks!**

 **Shadowbolt Adventure: Chapter XV: The Real Friendship Games Part III: Hearth's Warming in Canterlot**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

It was Hearth's Warming in Canterlot and all through the town

There was not a single grimace, scowl, cackle, or frown

Even in Sweet Apple Acres, that old farm on the hill

Those who had been enemies sat warm, happy, and still

Before the fireplace they lounged sipping cider so sweet

It seemed to warm their hearts, hands, shoulders and feet

Lemon Zest lay with her back against her girlfriend

As Pinkie Pie regaled them with tales without end

Indigo Zap lay on the carpet before the glowing orange fire

As Rainbow Dash issued challenges, slowly raising her ire

But respect they now shared on this cold winter's night

So it never grew into a big serious fight

Sugarcoat sat alone on the farm side of the room

Predicting misfortunes of sad tidings and gloom

But even her pragmatic heart couldn't stay so very cold

When Fluttershy brought out Angel the soft, furry, and bold

In the kitchen working together with due diligence and care

To make dinner for their friends, were Applejack and Sunny Flare

Sour Sweet grumbled, oh how she mumbled and groaned

As her limbs were measured and her appearance was honed

Rarity couldn't resist a flash of artistic inspiration

Even for a friend without much artistic inclination

The ten friends were calm and the night was so bright

They left behind the remnants of their former fight

As for Twilight Sparkle, the girl who was still learning

Of this friendship thing and its familiar yearning

She sat outside hunkered in a warm black jacket

Away from the crowd and Sour Sweet's loud racket

Sunset Shimmer sat beside her, her comfort warming her well

As she stared at the stars, the clouds, and the snow as it fell

It was Hearth's Warming in Canterlot, and another year had now passed

She had made many friends, but it had passed her by so fast

Still she was thankful to see all of her best friends amend

May you be thankful too, and may your friendships never end.


	16. The Sound of Silence

**A/N: Hello, everyone, this is SkullCrusher550. Welcome back to another chapter of 'ShadowBolt Adventure', please read my 'Rainbow Rocks' story and what do you think of it. Also please put a review a positive criticism, also leave me a question for my OC as long it's appropriate. Enjoy the story guys!**

 **ShadowBolt Adventure: Chapter XVI: The Sound of Silence**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

Twilight Sparkle had never really sat and listened to many holiday songs before. She really didn't bother now, either. But the soft strings that accompanied most of them were a nice backdrop as she marched down the sidewalk through the downtown area of Canterlot city. The snow was coming down light and fluffy, the best kind of snow, but it brought with it the soft chilly bite of the wind that blew her hair back out of her face. She didn't mind the cold that much though, she was snug in her thick winter coat, and she was too busy listening to her friend to pay it much heed.

"There are six types of ponies that I know of aside from the princesses..." Sunset Shimmer continued their conversation, lifting one gloved finger as she made her list. "Earth ponies, pegasus ponies, unicorns, crystal ponies, sea ponies, and bat ponies."

"Bat ponies?" Twilight lifted her eyebrow with a light scoff. "I think you just made up those last few."

"No, for real!" Sunset lifted her arms. "They all totally exist! Bat ponies are pretty rare, but I could show you one any time!"

"Oh really? So tell me a bit about them. For my scientific curiosity."

"Well, bat ponies eat flies, obviously." Sunset shimmer nodded with authority.

"What? No way! Ponies that eat flies?"

"Yep. And crystal ponies eat rocks."

Twilight Sparkle narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she pulled off her glasses to wipe some of the forming fog from her lenses. "And how does their metabolism digest these things?"

"Metabo..." Sunset trailed off and shook her head. "How should I know? They don't have that kind of medical science there."

"That sounds pretty convenient."

"It sure does."

Twilight finally chuckled as she slipped her glasses back into place. "Alright, anything else you can tell me about Equestria?"

"Well, the sun and moon don't move on their own, ponies move them."

"Oh come on, you expect me to believe that!?"

Sunset laughed. "You'll believe that ponies eat rocks but you won't believe something that's totally true?"

Twilight stopped in her tracks to press a finger to her friend's chest. "Aha! You admit you were lying!"

Sunset folded her arms across her chest stubbornly and looked away. "I admit no such thing." Her playful smile faded as her eyes settled on a small alleyway leading away from the main sidewalk. Twilight followed her gaze to see a faint orange glow flickering against the wall. "Is something on fire over there? Someone could be in trouble!" Without waiting for a response, Sunset Shimmer took off running towards the alley.

"Sunset, wait!" Twilight rushed after her, but couldn't hope to catch up to the more athletic nerd. She tailed her friend into the alley, only catching up with her at the far end of the alley, where Sunset had stopped to peer down an offshoot between buildings. There were three blanketed forms surrounding a steel drum set up in the center of the alley, with a bright orange fire lighting up the growing evening gloom.

"Who are they?" Sunset turned toward Twilight, speaking in a soft voice.

"Probably homeless..." Twilight hugged her jacket around her a bit tighter.

"There are homeless people in this world? How come I've never seen them before?"

"It's not that surprising, you live out in the suburb. They tend to gather in the city center where there's a lot of shelter, and spare food and clothing." Twilight turned to look at the three huddled forms again. One had turned its head towards them, but she still couldn't see a face under the hood of a dirty, ratty sweater worn underneath the thick blanket. "We should get out of here, they can be dangerous and desperate."

"It's freezing out here, Twilight, and only getting colder." Sunset turned toward her. "Isn't there anywhere they can go?"

"There's a homeless shelter a couple of blocks from here, but maybe they just don't want to go..."

"Or maybe they just need someone to show them the way." Sunset Shimmer took Twilight's hand in a firm grip. Twilight bit her lip nervously, but found herself unable to do anything but nod acceptance.

Sunset Shimmer took a few steps towards the figures, raising her voice to be heard. "Excuse me, are you three lost?" The figure looking at them just jerked a hand dismissively in their direction and turned back to the fire. Sunset Shimmer took a few more steps forward. "It's really cold out here, I think it'd be good for you to get inside. My friend knows where there's a shelter for you. You could come with us and we'll show you where it is."

The figure on the far side of the fire raised its head now under its hood, but the nearer one waved a sharp hand and it lowered its head again. "Hey, don't be afraid, we want to help you. You don't even have to talk to me if you don't want to, just come with us."

The nearer figure jerked another dismissive hand at them over its shoulder, but the far one raised its hooded head again and slowly climbed to its feet. "Yeah, we'll show you right where it is. We can be there before nightfall easily." Sunset Shimmer held her hand out to what was now clearly a smaller figure under the blanket. The figure moved toward them, but the nearer one shot out a hand to stop it before it could pass, grabbing hold of the figure's left hand.

Sunset Shimmer rushed forward now, taking the figure's other hand and tugging at it. "Hey, leave... her...?" Sunset Shimmer trailed off slowly, staring into the hood of the standing figure. Now that it was standing and held tight near the fire, the orange light was casting its glow into the dark hood, revealing the shockingly young-looking face of a teenage girl. "Sonata Dusk?"

The nearer figure leapt to its feet suddenly, jerking around and shoving Sunset Shimmer back with both palms on her shoulders. Twilight yelped and grabbing Sunset's jacket, tugging her away from the aggressive girl whose hood had fallen from her head with her furious motions. She too looked very young, but also very angry, her eyes fixed on Sunset's. The third figure stood more slowly and moved to join its companions, also revealed to be a girl when she lowered her own hood.

Twilight's heart was pounding as she tugged at Sunset's arm to try to get her to retreat, but Sunset just put a calming hand on Twilight's, gave her a comforting smile, then turned back to the three girls.

Sunset took another step forward with her back straight, looking at each girl in turn. "Adagio. Sonata. Aria. I don't know what you three are doing out here, and I don't care. I just want you to get out of the cold." Adagio scoffed and rolled her eyes, pointing a finger at Sunset, then turning her finger back towards the alley entrance. "What happened to you? I know you can talk, why aren't you talking?" Sonata's cheeks flushed crimson, but Aria and Adagio only looked more angry, both of them pointing at the alley entrance again.

Sunset shook her head. "Why are you being so stubborn? I'm trying to help you! Whatever you did before, you don't deserve this!"

Adagio scowled and just waved dismissively at them again, turning to move back towards the flaming steel drum. Aria followed suit, but Sonata just watched the other two move, then turned back toward Sunset with big, wet eyes.

Twilight Sparkle stepped forward now, feeling slightly more comfortable dealing with teenage girls as opposed to creepy men far older than her, especially ones Sunset seemed to know. "If you won't let us take you to a shelter... at least... at least let us get you some dinner. A warm dinner." Sonata's face lit up like the sun itself and she whirled back to the other two, but they were just glaring daggers at Twilight's face. Twilight cleared her throat and tugged on the bottom of her jacket. "Um... please?"

Sunset stepped between them suddenly. "This isn't who you think it is. This is the native Twilight, she hasn't done anything to you." Adagio sneered and pointed an accusing finger at Sunset. "Yes, I did something to you... but I just want to help you now. I had no idea you were out here living like this. Like Twilight said, at least let us get you some dinner. We can hash this out, no obligations."

Sonata danced closer to them with a happy grin, turning to look back at her two companions. They were both glaring sharply at the three of them until Aria just let out a soft sigh, shrugged, and moved towards them. Adagio's hand snapped out to grab her wrist, but Aria just slapped it away with one careless gesture and moved out of her reach, joining Sonata's side. Adagio's fists clenched at her sides and her lip curled in a vicious snarl.

"Come on Adagio, what's dinner gonna hurt?" Sunset asked in a soft tone. "Your friends have obviously voted, and it doesn't look like you have anything to lose. Just have something decent to eat... it looks like you need it."

Adagio's cheeks went crimson when a grumbling sound suddenly echoed out from her stomach. Her hands clutched her body to silence it, but it was too late. With the other four girls watching her expectantly, she finally let her hang against her chest for a moment before straightening up with pride and marching toward the crowd. Sonata jumped and clapped enthusiastically, then turned to join the others as Twilight led the way down the sidewalk.

As they walked slightly ahead of the three girls, Twilight leaned close to Sunset to whisper softly. "How do you know these girls?"

"It's a long story." Sunset shook her head. "Let's just say you and I weren't the only girls who had a lesson to learn at CHS, recently... and I'm not the only one here from Equestria."

"Are they friends of yours, at least?"

Sunset chuckled. "Not even a little bit..."

"I see..." Twilight looked up as they approached the restaurant she and Sunset had been walking towards in the first place. "You're a good person, Sunset Shimmer."

"I'm doing my best..." Sunset trailed off, then turned back to their entourage. "Come on, we were gonna have a good Hearth's Warming dinner as friends here. Table's definitely big enough for five, and I've got the bill, so order whatever you want."

Sonata licked her lips as she stared up at the sign, Aria shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest, and Adagio still looked suspicious, but her rumbling stomach seemed to get the better of her caution, and the five girls made their way into the warm interior of the restaurant.

The waitress showed them to their booth towards the back wall of the restaurant promptly. Sunset sat against the wall with Adagio and Aria filling in the rest of her bench, while Twilight took the wall seat on the opposite side, and Sonata happily let herself fill out the remainder of their bench. A strangely awkward silence fell over the table as the girls waited for their menus, selected their entrees, and sat back to wait for them to be delivered.

"Are you going to say anything at all?" Sunset Shimmer finally asked in a low voice. The three strange girls just stared at her for a moment before each shaking their heads. "I just don't get why. Have you lost the ability to talk?" Adagio shook her head. "You just refuse to." Adagio nodded. "Any particular reason for that?" Adagio just glared at her, crossing her arms over her chest with a look that said what she thought of Sunset's question. "Yeah, I guess that was kind of a dumb question."

"Hey, you can still communicate with us." Twilight's hands dug through her pockets for a moment, producing a pen and a small notepad. "I like to carry around some things in case thoughts hit me while I'm out. It tends to happen a lot. Here you go." She passed the writing implements over to Adagio, who took them with a bit of a scowl, but her expression softened as she scribbled quickly on the top page. Twilight noted that her handwriting was surprisingly neat, actually.

We won't talk because we hate our ugly disgusting voices.

"Ugly voices?" Sunset Shimmer blinked in surprise.

We always had ugly voices back before we found our talismans. Without our magic we're back to shaming ourselves with every word. So we don't talk.

"That sounds so sad." Twilight managed to read Adagio's writing upside down. It wasn't difficult, really. It was very neat handwriting. "Your voices can't be that bad, can they? I mean, you're pretty girls, how bad could they be?"

Bad enough to replace them for good and thank you for not asking us about it anymore!

"Okay, okay." Sunset Shimmer raised her hands defensively and moved away from her, closer to the wall. "I'll drop it."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the girls as they waited for the waitress to return with their meal. Twilight stared across the table at Adagio's flushed, rosey face, only eventually becoming aware that the girl seated beside her was staring at her. Twilight cast Sonata a cautious look to see the girl smiling. She raised her hand and wiggled her fingers in greeting. Twilight wiggled her fingers back with a sheepish smile.

Sonata scooted closer with a curious look in her eyes. She lifted one finger to tap her nail on the edge of Twilight's glasses, her eyes narrowing. Twilight reached up to gently lift her glasses off and hold them out to the curious girl. A light squeak of delight came from the aqua blur's throat as she plucked the glasses out of Twilight's fingers to examine them closer. She turned them around in her hands slowly, poking at the lenses with her fingertip.

Her fingers turned the glasses curiously and pulled them onto her nose. Her eyes twitched and she suddenly leaned backwards clear out of the booth, landing on the carpet with a solid thunk. There were two solid slaps as Aria and Adagio facepalmed on the other side of the booth, but Sonata was back on her feet quickly with a sheepish grin on her lips. She slid back into the booth and handed Twilight her glasses back quickly, which she put back on.

"Heh, yeah, they're kind of a strong prescription." Twilight explained as the world around her became clear again.

Sonata turned toward the table again just as the waitress arrived with their food. Three tuna burgers were placed in front of each of their guests, while Twilight and Sunset each set their bowls of salad in front of them. Their meal began in the same silence that had dominated while they waited, with each girl remaining largely focused on the plate in front of them.

Twilight Sparkle couldn't resist glancing around the table at the others, her eyes settling on Adagio, who looked the most upset out of them all. She was putting up a tough angry front... but Twilight could see in her eyes that she was hurting the most. Especially now that she thought nobody was looking. The entire reason Twilight invited them here was to get them to relax and listen, that wasn't going to happen by letting this silence continue.

Twilight raised her napkin to wipe off her lips before speaking. "You said something about replacing your voices. How did you do that?"

Adagio waved her off, shoving the pen and paper pointedly away from her and picking up her tuna burger again. Sonata looked down for a moment, then reached across the table to pull the pad towards her. Her own handwriting was a lot messier than Adagio's, but still legible.

We found the magic stones.

"Magic stones?" Sunset's interest was piqued immediately.

The Siren Stones. We looked all over Equestria for them because we wanted to be singers.

Sunset Shimmer leaned forward across the table, giving Sonata an intense look. "Siren Stones? You mean those pendants were something you found?"

Yep. We really wanted to be singers, but our voices were not so good.

"If you didn't like the way your voices sounded, why did you want to be singers?" Twilight asked curiously. "You could have been anything, right?"

Sonata pursed her lips for a moment before turning to a fresh page to continue. Yeah, but we came to the surface and heard some ponies putting on a concert.

Twilight put a hand on Sonata's to pause her writing. "Surface?"

We lived in the water. I don't know what land ponies call us, don't care. Maybe Adagio or Aria would know? Sonata looked over at her two friends, reaching over to tap each of their arms. Adagio continued pointedly glaring at her food and Aria simply seemed not to care about the conversation, so she continued. Anyway, they were so pretty that we sat all day and just listened to them perform one after the other. A wistful smile lit up her features as she wrote. When the concert ended we decided we wanted to do that. We wanted to be singers and make such pretty songs!

"Awww..." Twilight couldn't stifle a smile. "That's really sweet, actually."

Sonata smiled wider as she continued writing. We practiced for months! We were gonna do it! We were gonna be singers! We were gonna be the ones on a stage making so many ponies love us and adore us! We were gonna wear super cute makeup!

"So what happened? How did you go from that to... well, what happened at CHS?" Sunset Shimmer asked curiously.

We signed up for the festival the next year. But Sonata hesitated for a moment, then let out a soft sigh under her breath and finished her sentence. we were laughed off the stage. They said our songs were the worst they ever heard, and our voices should stay in the water where nopony can hear them.

"That's awful!" Twilight put a hand on her shoulder. "What a terrible thing to say."

Sonata moved the pen to the paper again, but Adagio suddenly ripped the notepad away from her and slammed it down on the table, giving her a sharp glare. Sonata shrunk back on her bench and slid the pen back across the table, where Adagio snapped it up.

We don't want your pity. Adagio scribbled quickly before she slammed the pen back down on the notepad.

"It's not pity, it's sympathy." Sunset Shimmer kept her voice calm, despite the glint in her eye.

Same thing. Adagio scribbled.

Twilight spoke up now, hoping to diffuse the argument. "Adagio, we're not trying to make fun of you. We'd just like to understand you a little better, that's all." Adagio shot her a sharp glare, but she didn't respond. "I mean... you seem like a smart girl... you know what you're doing... why are you sleeping in the alley and avoiding the shelters? Why didn't you want to come get the dinner we offered you? It's like you're intentionally avoiding things that can make life better for you."

Adagio's fist clenched as Sonata and Aria turned to watch her at that, their eyes wide in realization. Adagio's eyes bore into Twilight's, then flitted back and forth between her two friends.

"Adagio?" Sunset asked. "Are you doing that?"

Adagio tried to storm out of the booth, but Aria put a hand on her chest and shoved her back roughly to the bench, pushing her down and slapping the notepad into her chest with a glare. Sonata's eyes widened, looking back and forth between her two friends.

Red-faced, Adagio picked up the pen and held it to the paper, her words less rigid than before as her fingers shook. Yeah, maybe I am. Maybe I'm the one who realizes that the Siren Stones didn't corrupt us. Maybe I'm the one who realizes that we did all of it on our own. It was easy to figure out that the Siren Stones had side-effects. We all knew about the mind-control magic, we loved it, we loved being adored. But we weren't controlled, we were-

"Guilty." Sunset Shimmer finished before Adagio could write down the last word. "You're intentionally punishing yourself, aren't you? And you didn't tell either of them."

Adagio looked back and forth between her friends, then looked down at the table again, the pen scratching at the notepad. What are we supposed to do? Go crawling back? Ask forgiveness? I'm not even sorry. The power, the adoration, it was all amazing! I still want it!

Sonata reached out a more gentle hand, pulling the notepad softly out of Adagio's grasp and plucking the pen from her shaking fingers so she could write. But I'm sorry. I wanna be okay, Adagio. Even if we can't go home, I wanna be okay.

Aria nodded, still glaring at Adagio with her hands firmly on her hips.

"Adagio, I don't care what you did. You deserve to be warm and happy." Twilight spoke in as firm a voice as she could muster. She still wasn't very good at this. "If you want to go to the shelter, we can show you the way. If you want to get a job, we can help you look."

"I could put in a good word for you at my work." Sunset smiled over at the former siren. "It's not the most dignified job in the world, but it could help you girls get on your feet." Adagio huffed, then lifted a hand to her throat.

"You won't have to talk," Twilight assured her. "There are plenty of girls with disabilities around. They'll understand."

Adagio shook her head furiously again, but Aria finally snatched the notepad off of the table to scribble in a hasty scrawl. If you won't I will. I'm not eating scraps and sleeping in the snow anymore Adagio. It's stupid, and I'm finished feeling sorry for myself. She hefted the notepad and slapped it roughly against Adagio's chest, suddenly climbing out of the booth and planting her hands on her hips. Adagio stared down at the notepad for a moment, looking like she was reading the message several times.

Adagio's eye twitched when Sonata climbed up from the booth to stand beside Aria, looking less confident, but unwavering in her stance.

"Adagio..." Sunset put her comforting hands on Adagio's shoulders from behind. "You don't have to take all of the burden by yourself. Even if you think of yourself as the leader, they made their own choices, and they can help you make yours now. You'll be fine as long as you have each other." She squeezed her shoulders comfortingly. "You were inseparable no matter how much you argued. I know you knew real friendship... and that means you can trust them to show you the way, even if you don't trust us." Sonata smiled brightly, and Aria's expression didn't change, but her eyes did soften just a smidge.

Sonata opened her arms toward Adagio expectantly, but Aria slapped her arms grumpily shut again. Adagio just stared up at the two girls, then glanced back at Sunset Shimmer over her shoulder. Sunset gave her a smile and a shallow nod, pushing on her shoulders to get her started moving towards her friends.

Adagio slid out of the booth into the arms of Sonata, whose arms slung out before Aria could slap them back down and wrapped around her in a tight hug. Adagio stared at the top of her head, then rolled her eyes and petted her with one hand. Aria's expression didn't change, but she did move just slightly closer to the other two.

Their meals finished, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle slid out of the booth beside the three girls.

Twilight had a smile on her lips as she spoke. "Should we lead you girls to the shelter, now?"

Adagio nodded and pried Sonata off of her. She reached back across the table to pluck Twilight's notepad off of the polished wood and hold it out to her, but Twilight raised her hands in refusal. "You keep it. You might need it, and I have so many of those at home my big brother says I might have a problem."

Adagio looked down at the notepad, then nodded and held it against her chest. Twilight moved past her. "Come on, the shelter isn't even a block from here."

After gathering up their leftovers, which they handed over to the three friends, Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer led the way outside and down the snow-covered sidewalk to the homeless shelter around the corner. Twilight approached the door with her hands in her jacket pockets, then turned back to the girls. "This is it. They can take care of you here."

"And I'll keep in touch too," Sunset Shimmer insisted. "I know we got off to a pretty bad start at CHS... but I think, at the very least, you deserve the second chance I got."

Adagio nodded, glanced back at each of her friends over her shoulders, then gestured to the door. She and Aria moved to head inside, but Sonata bolted away from the other two, running up to Sunset Shimmer and taking her hand. Twilight's heart skipped a beat when she pulled Sunset Shimmer's face close to her own, but her lips veered away from the face to her ear, and Twilight could hear something barely audible pass between them.

Sunset Shimmer blinked in surprise, but gave Sonata a warm smile when she pulled back. "You're welcome."

Sonata smiled with a light squeak and turned to rejoin her friends. They both slapped the back of her head with admonishing glares, hurrying her inside with bright blushes on their cheeks.

Twilight looked up at the slightly taller girl once they were gone. "You're amazing, Sunset Shimmer."

Sunset shrugged. "Hey, I wasn't lying. I was probably as bad as they were, or worse. At the very least they should get the same opportunity I had."

"So..." Twilight glanced back at the door conspiratorially to make sure the girls were really gone. "What did she sound like? Was she as bad as they said?"

"Honestly?" Sunset Shimmer scratched the side of her head in confusion. "Her voice hasn't changed. It's the same as it was when they invaded CHS."

"Oh..." Twilight looked back at the door worriedly again. "Do you think they'll ever realize...?"

"I hope so. I can try to convince them, but it's really up to them if they ever accept that their voices are perfectly fine." Sunset pulled her jacket tighter around herself with a light shiver. "Come on, we should get out of the cold too. I'll walk you home."

"Okay, that sounds good." Twilight nodded and turned to walk with Sunset down the sidewalk, her hand snaking out to find the fiery-haired girl's. However, there was still one more thing bothering her. "You've never told me where you work."

Sunset Shimmer smirked wryly. "No, I haven't."

"Are you going to tell me where you work?"

"Nope."

Twilight blinked. "Why not?"

"Nope," was Sunset Shimmer's only response as she quickened her pace slightly.

"Hmph..." Twilight hurried to keep up with her. "You're lucky you're amazing or I would be so mad at you right now."

Sunset chuckled and slipped an arm comfortably around her shoulders. "Some questions are better left unanswered, Twi. Let's just enjoy the evening..."

( **To Be Continue** )


	17. Unrequited

**A/N: Hi…. Never mind the introduction just let's start with the story. please, review my second installment known as 'Rainbow Rocks' if you guys had time for it.**

 **Shadowbolt Adventure: Chapter XVII: Unrequited**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

Twilight Sparkle pulled two glasses out of her cupboard, laying them down on the counter as she made her way toward the fridge to pull out a two-liter of soda. As she poured the two drinks, she could hear the popping sound from the microwave nearby, along with the enticing smell of cooked buttery popcorn. She didn't indulge in such snacks very often, only during special occasions. But spending the night with her best friend was always a special occasion for her.

Once the microwave sang out through the kitchen, she pulled out her bag of sugary unhealth food, poured it into a large bowl, and carefully made her way into the living room with her feast on a wide circular tray. Sunset Shimmer was leaning back comfortably on the couch with a relaxed smile on her lips, her jacket tossed carelessly by the front door and her boots leaning against the side of the couch, with her sock-clad feet resting on Twilight's coffee table.

"What is it about the smell of popcorn that gets you ready for movies?" Sunset asked curiously.

"Psychological association, I think." Twilight sat down on the couch beside her friend and set the tray down on the coffee table. "If a person experiences two things together often enough, or for the first time, their mind can unconsciously create an association between them, so that experiencing one can bring to mind the other. It's kind of like the Pad Dog's dogs experiment, where ringing a bell will make a dog salivate because they associate the bell with food..." Twilight blushed. "I-I am not calling you a dog."

Sunset Shimmer smiled in amusement. "So what you're saying is that the popcorn manufacturers have us brainwashed."

Twilight paused, then giggled behind one hand. "I guess that's one way to look at it. Here, this one's yours." Twilight picked one of the cups from her tray and held it out to her friend.

"Thanks." Sunset took the cup and settled back with that in one hand and the remote control in the other. "You ready to do this?"

"Absolutely." Twilight set the bowl on her lap and leaned back against her delightfully cushy sofa.

The movie began and Twilight settled in with a contented smile. She had a bowl of popcorn in her lap, a soda in her hand, and her best friend sitting a few inches away. What more could a girl ask for on a cold winter's night? Well, admittedly, a decent movie would be nice, but the movie adaptation of Slumber 101 was pretty dull and insipid. She wasn't sure going in how they planned to turn a guidebook into a movie. It turned out, they planned to do it badly. She wished she could be surprised.

She twitched slightly when she felt something press against her upper back, behind her shoulders. Glancing to her right side, she saw it was just Sunset Shimmer's arm, sliding from the back of the couch around her neck. With a smile Twilight leaned back against it, turning her eyes back to the movie. She'd always wanted a big sister... and she wasn't sure what it was about Sunset that provided that. She was so self-assured, so confident, so helpful and protective. Everything Twilight could want in a sister or a friend, and never knew she wanted until the Friendship Games.

The movie droned on and on seemingly forever, but Twilight refused to turn it off. She wasn't sure if Sunset was enjoying it or not, but she didn't want to seem pushy or make her feel bad about enjoying it. It couldn't be too much longer anyway. Besides, Sunset's hand on her shoulder felt kind of nice, rubbing softly at her skin.

Twilight blinked slowly and glanced at the hand on her right side, which was massaging her shoulder with a tender, but firm touch. Twilight turned her head slowly to her left, where she saw that she was now leaning up against Sunset's side without realizing it, cradled snugly in the crook of her arm. Sunset Shimmer was watching her with a soft look in her eyes and a warm smile on her lips. Twilight returned the smile, but her breath caught in her throat when Sunset Shimmer slowly began to move towards her.

She felt frozen as Sunset's lips touched her own. Her body tensed and her eyes widened. Her heart began to race and, almost of their own volition, her arms shot up and knocked Sunset's arms away from her as she scrambled to move back. Her arm slipped from the sofa cushion and she dropped to the floor like a cat, scrambling back on her butt and giving her friend a shocked, wide-eyed stare. Sunset Shimmer looked just as shocked as she felt, her eyes wide.

"S-Sunset... wh... wha...?" Twilight put a hand over her lips.

Sunset Shimmer's eyes only got wider as a deep rosey blush spread across her cheeks. "Oh sweet Celestia, Twilight, I'm sorry! I-I thought-" Sunset leapt to her feet. "Oh geeze, I am so, so sorry! I-I mean... I-I should go..." Sunset whirled away from her. Apologetic mumbles and muttering carried back to Twilight, who felt like her butt was glued to the floor as her friend shoved her feet into her boots and plucked her jacket from the floor.

"Guh... huh..." Twilight's felt like she couldn't catch her breath enough to speak until Sunset had disappeared out the door, slamming it hurriedly behind her without even putting her jacket on.

Twilight just sat on the floor, her eyes trained on the door for several long minutes, trying to process what had just happened. Sunset Shimmer was... attracted to her? How? Why? Since when? The very idea boggled her mind. Sunset Shimmer was so nice to her, but they were friends. They were best friends... weren't they? Suddenly her mind went whirling back in time, scanning for anything she might have missed.

-"that dress looks really beautiful on you,"

Sunset Shimmer's words at Sweet Apple Acres rushed into her mind, and then Sunset Shimmer had asked if she wanted to go to dinner, the night they ran into those homeless girls... the sirens, Sunset called them. Wait... Sunset had asked her to go to dinner.

She'd asked her out.

Twilight's palm hit her forehead so hard she knocked herself to her back on the carpet, her glasses rolling off the top of her head. How was it possible for a person to be so terrible at understanding other human beings? Or... ponies? Pony-humans? She didn't know, her brain was spinning so fast she felt tears stinging at her eyes. Had her stupidity really cost her the best friend she had ever had? What if Sunset Shimmer never wanted to see her again now?

The very thought made her start crying openly.

The next day was appropriately gray. The thick cloud cover that rained fresh white powder down around her blocked out the sun as Twilight Sparkle marched down the sidewalk in her thick puffy winter clothes. She wasn't really going anywhere, the cool breeze and pure white world around her calmed her spinning mind. She still felt like she was reeling from her encounter with Sunset Shimmer the night before. Looking back, she could see so many moments. So many quiet moments that took on a whole new meaning now.

And the more she found, the worse she felt. She'd been leading Sunset Shimmer on this whole time. Leaning on her, accepting her compliments, her affection, her touch. She had practically been hungry for it, ignorant of their true meaning. And now...

She looked up when she heard a voice from nearby. She had wandered over to Indigo Zap's house, as she tended to do when she was out and about. They only lived a block apart, after all. From the street she could even see Indigo's parking garage was open, and two figures inside its relative warmth taking steel chippers and thick pads to the car parked within. Twilight watched them work for a moment, then stuck her hands in her pockets and moved toward the garage. She could use a distraction right about now.

"Hey, Indigo." Twilight announced her presence as she approached, seeing now that the second figure was Lemon Zest, who was wearing a lighter jacket than Twilight's, but had a thick beanie on under her headphones, and a dust mask obscuring her face. "What are you two up to?"

"Hey Twi." Indigo stood up straight and pulled her own mask down to her neck. "Just de-rusting Lightning."

"Lightning?"

"Her car." Lemon Zest giggled as she pulled her own mask down. "Cute name, huh? Lightning Zap!"

"It's uh... cool." Twilight smiled.

Indigo grinned proudly. "Thanks. You wanna help us clean her up? I have plenty of tools you can use."

Twilight blushed and raised her hands. "Uh, no thanks, I think I'd end up scrubbing all of the skin off my hands..." Twilight glanced across the top of the car at Lemon, who was shaking her thickly gloved hands in front of her as if to restore the feeling in them. "Hey, Lemon, if you're not too busy, could I ask you a few things?"

"Never too busy for you, Twi. What's on your mind?"

"Hey, I'm not giving you those sandwiches so you can stand around gabbing." Indigo smirked.

Lemon giggled back. "This is the kind of dedication you get without mayonnaise."

"Geeze, forget one little thing..." Indigo grunted.

Twilight normally would have been amused, but instead she just marched around the car up to Lemon, her lips set in a straight line. "You're... you know, gay, right?"

"Uh..." Lemon giggled. "Guilty as charged, heh."

"Have you ever..." Twilight trailed off, then took a deep breath and forced herself to finish. "Have you ever had a crush on a straight girl? A girl who might never ever like you back?"

"Oh..." Lemon's eyes shadowed over a bit and she put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, I think I can relate to that. It's one of the worst feelings in the world."

"Is it...?" Twilight bit her lip.

"Oh yeah. I mean, imagine crushing on someone from afar. He's hot, he's nice, he makes you wanna rub his abs or something. Maybe he's into you, maybe he's not, but at least you can hope that maybe, someday. But if he's a chick who's into dudes? Man, there is no hope!" Lemon Zest clenched her fists beside her. "There's not a single chance in all the flaming pits of Tartarus that it will ever happen! You can just look and look and realize that you're just too different for them! Why can't you like someone who can like you? Why can't you like boys who're into chicks? Why can't you just be normal!?" Lemon's rant faded away with slightly heavier panting breath as Twilight and Indigo both watched her in stunned silence.

Lemon straightened up to steady herself with a blush and cleared her throat. "Um, yeah, that's a bit what that's like... why do you ask?"

Twilight couldn't get out anything more than a soft squeaking sound until she cleared her throat. "Um... I-"

"Oh, Twi..." Lemon cupped her hands in front of her with a gasp. "Not you... I didn't even know you liked girls."

"N-not me..." Twilight shook her head. "I'm not the crusher, I'm the crushee... I think."

"Oh..." Lemon let out her breath and stood up straighter again. "Sunset Shimmer finally said something, huh?"

"Wh-huh?" Twilight blinked in surprise. "You knew?"

"Gaydar." Indigo nodded.

Lemon rolled her eyes with a wry smirk. "I don't need Gaydar to see the way Sunset Shimmer acts around her." She swung her arms back and forth with fluttering eyelashes. "The doting, the stream of compliments, the lavishing of attention and bending over backwards to do what she wants."

"I guess I can see that." Indigo Zap shrugged. "I've never really been the romantic type to notice."

"You'll start noticing once you actually get a boyfriend." Lemon winked, then turned back to Twilight. "Anyway, that sounds really rough, Twi, but I don't think you need to worry too terribly much."

Twilight blinked in surprise. "You don't?"

"Sunset Shimmer totally digs you, dude, and I don't think it's just because she wants your bod..." Her eyes flicked down over Twilight's body. "In fact I'm sure it's not... no offense. And I'm sure she'll want to stick by you even if you're not her girlfriend."

"But it was so awkward and she looked so upset..." Twilight shivered. "And I haven't seen her at all today... she hasn't even called. What if I really hurt her feelings? What if she never wants to see me again? I mean, I wouldn't even blame her..."

"Never wants to see you again?" Indigo scoffed. "Get real, Twilight. She organized an Olympic event for you. I don't think an awkward moment is going to make her throw all that away."

"Though to be sure..." Lemon grinned eagerly. "We could totally use details of what happened!"

Twilight felt the heat spread through her cheeks. "Is that really important...?"

Lemon Zest nodded with her lips set in a solemn line. "We need information so we can make correct assessments."

"Lemon Zest, stop trying to pry gossip out of her and get back to scraping, will you?" Indigo lowered her goggles from her head into place over her eyes. "You know Twi, if you're really worried about what she's thinking, you could just go see her and ask."

"She hasn't called me today. What if she doesn't want to see me?"

"Then she'll ask you to leave and you can talk to her later, but at least you'll be able to say you tried to do something instead of standing here being grilled for gossip," Indigo pointed out. Lemon Zest stuck her tongue out at her friend, but Twilight was already retreating into her thoughts. Maybe Indigo was right. Sunset Shimmer had never lied to her before, she'd never turned Twilight away, and more importantly, Twilight hadn't even apologized. Maybe if she did that she would feel better, and things could go back to normal. Instead here she was freaking out and wallowing in her own paranoid thoughts instead of doing things.

Just like she always did before meeting Sunset Shimmer...

"Thank you, Indigo." Twilight nodded. "I think I will go see her."

"You go get her, buddy!" Indigo gave her a thumbs up.

"Good luck, Twilight! We're rooting for you!" Lemon Zest grinned.

Twilight turned to leave, but stopped before reaching the garage entrance. She turned back, approached Lemon Zest, and threw her arms around the surprised girl's torso. "You are normal, Lemon Zest..."

Lemon grinned and wrapped her arms around Twilight. "Awwww, thanks Twi. You're normal too... no matter what those idiots at school always said." She booped Twilight on the nose with one finger as she pulled back. "Now go get your friend."

"Right, I'll call and let you know how it went." Twilight turned away, partially in haste and partially to hide her embarrassment at her sudden outburst, and rushed outside.

The bus ride out of town seemed to pass by in a heartbeat, and Twilight soon found herself approaching Sunset Shimmer's ground floor apartment. She took a deep breath and rapped her knuckles softly on the door, taking a step back to wait. She could hear movement inside until the knob turned, and the door began to open.

Twilight's breath caught in her throat when she saw Sunset Shimmer standing just inside the door, looking surprisingly calm, and even more surprisingly naked. Sunset didn't really seem to notice however. The look she gave Twilight was one of surprise, but thankfully not one of anger.

"Hey, Twilight... wasn't expecting to see you today."

Clearly, Twilight resisted the urge to say. "I-I um... I can come back later if you're busy..." She looked away, trying not to look too suspicious about avoiding gazing directly at her friend.

"Not really, I decided to spend the day relaxing..." Sunset Shimmer cleared her throat. "If... you're still nervous about yesterday..."

"I-I would like to talk about that, it's just... er... you're kind of... naked." Twilight hid her eyes behind one hand. "Kind of very naked."

"Eh?" Sunset Shimmer's voice rose in surprise, then settled down. "Ah, right. Come on in and I'll put something on." Twilight felt a hand pull her into the living room out of the cold into the heated apartment, the door closing behind her. "Sorry, I know people are really gung-ho about clothes in this world, but I guess my head's been somewhere else today."

"It's okay, not a big deal..." Twilight made her way over to the couch in the living room to sit down, peeking through her fingers to watch Sunset make her way into the bedroom. Twilight only moved her hand away from her eyes once she was out of sight. "Do you hang around the house like that very often?"

"Only when I don't plan to go anywhere or have company." Sunset's voice floated back from the bedroom. "Just don't really see the point in wearing clothes all the time. Back in Equestria they're strictly for fashion or the weather."

"Yeah, I guess I can see how that could be kind of a culture shock." Twilight watched as Sunset emerged from the bedroom, now wearing a pair of blue-jeans and her normal shirt. She joined Twilight on the couch. "Do you... do you sleep naked too?"

Sunset nodded, brushing some hair out of her face. "Yeah, when I'm alone."

"Cool..." Twilight trailed off, allowing the uncomfortable silence to engulf them again. "You know, I've heard a lot of people do that."

"Yeah, I've heard that too."

"And a lot of people shave, too." Twilight blushed. "So uh... you don't need to be embarrassed about that."

"I'm not, but thanks." Sunset's voice betrayed her smirk. "I actually kind of like being smooth. I think if I ever move back to Equestria I'll shave off all my fur and see if I can start a bald pony trend."

"No!" Twilight clamped her hands on her shoulders. "Please don't go!"

Sunset raised her hands in surprise. "I'm not! It was just hypothetical!" Twilight stared into her eyes for a moment, then jerked away to look at the door, her fingers tugging at her glasses like they were assaulting her face. This was going terribly, the growing awkwardness and silence were going to drive her crazy. She was just going to have to come out with it already.

"So has your head been somewhere else... because of me?"

Sunset Shimmer was silent for a moment until she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Maybe. Wasn't sure what to think after last night."

"Tell me about it," Twilight agreed immediately. "I think I laid on the floor for almost an hour. I-I'm sorry."

"You?" Sunset shimmer blinked in surprise. "You didn't do anything."

"Exactly!" Twilight insisted. "I could have... should have done something. Looking back on our relationship now it seems so obvious how you felt... even Lemon Zest knew, but I was too naive and self-centered to realize it. I should have noticed, we could have talked about it a lot sooner."

Sunset Shimmer fell silent for a moment before speaking. "And I could've been more plain and honest. I knew you didn't spend a lot of time with people, I shouldn't have just assumed you'd pick up on my 'signals'. I could've just said 'hey Twi, I kinda dig you, do you wanna go out?'"

"I didn't even realize you were gay."

"Actually, I'm not." Sunset gave Twilight a soft smile when the smaller girl turned to look at her curiously. "I'm bisexual. And I guess it didn't occur to me to say so because most mares in Equestria are."

"Really?" Twilight adjusted her glasses, her discomfort forgotten in a moment of scientific curiosity. "That seems like an odd evolutionary quirk."

"It's probably a response to the other odd quirk that girls outnumber boys three to one." Sunset chuckled. "You be ready to hook up with a girl, or you'll probably spend your life alone. Or you can go into herding, I guess, but that was never for me."

"Herding?"

"A bunch of mares marrying one stallion."

"Oh. We have a word for that too. It's called polygamy here."

"Oh yeah? Didn't think humans approved of that sort of thing."

"It's uncommon today, in fact it's illegal in some places. But it's not unheard of, historically speaking."

"Huh, interesting."

Is it? Twilight chided herself. What was she doing getting lost in a science and history discussion while her friendship was on the line? She needed to focus on doing... something. She had Sunset's attention, and she had apologized... and now she realized she had no idea what she needed to do. Should she leave? Sunset still looked rather sad. Maybe she needed her space. Or maybe Twilight would just look like she was abandoning her if she tried to go. Should she try to make a joke to lighten the mood? She wasn't very funny even when she didn't feel like she was on the verge of passing out.

No... she only had one choice, especially with Sunset Shimmer. Complete honesty.

Twilight couldn't make herself look at her friend as she spoke. "Is this going to hurt our friendship, Sunset Shimmer?" The silence was almost deafening, giving her an answer she didn't want to hear almost immediately. "I understand if I... if I hurt you... but I..." She choked. "I need you, Sunset Shimmer. I wouldn't be able to deal with all of these people without you. You brought me back from absolute madness, you showed me the light of friendship, and you've been there for me every step of the way. I don't know how much further I'll be able to go without you."

"Twilight..." Sunset Shimmer finally spoke in a soft tone. "I'm not going to insult you by lying. Yeah, what happened last night... hurt. It hurt really bad, and my plan was to spend today lying in bed eating ice-cream. I've already finished off half a tub." Twilight felt a hand wrap around her fingers, squeezing them. "I may not be okay right this second... but I will be okay. And if I have anything to say about it, we will be okay."

Twilight dared to look at Sunset Shimmer again finally. Her eyes were slightly reddened, and there were two streaks running down her cheeks, but her expression was firm. "I've told you a lot of things about how great friendship is... but I never said it was easy. It's not like I know everything about it either... maybe if I was better at it I would've known better than to do what I did. But please believe me when I say that no matter how much it hurt, no matter how bad I feel... I won't turn away from you, Twilight Sparkle. You're too special to me for that."

Twilight sniffled through her smile, bringing one hand up to wipe at her cheeks under her glasses. "A relationship wouldn't work anyway... you're way too good for me."

Sunset gave her a sad smile. "I hope someday you won't believe that." Sunset brushed a finger over her cheek to wipe away the last of Twilight's tears.

Twilight opened her arms toward her, but stopped short with a blush. "This isn't going to help you feel better, is it...?"

Sunset chuckled. "Whether I feel bad or not doesn't matter. If you need hugs, I've got your back." Sunset Shimmer threw both arms around Twilight and pulled her into a monstrous bear hug. Twilight threw her arms around her friend gratefully. "And I will for as long as I can."

Twilight rested her cheek against her friend's shoulder, digging her fingers possessively into her back. "Thank you, Sunset. For everything."

"You're welcome, Twi." Sunset whispered into her ear. "Even just as a friend... you're worth it."

( **To Be Continue** )


	18. Independence Day (Uncut Version) Pt I

**A/N: Hello, Everyone, this is SkullCrusher550. Right now I am not going to waste time, let's just start the story I hope you like it.**

 **Shadowbolt Adventure: Chapter XVIII: Independence Day Part I: Road Tripping**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbr, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

An otherwise quiet day brimming with excitement was enough to get Indigo Zap's heart pumping. She couldn't keep the grin off of her face as her five friends gathered on her driveway around the covered vehicle she had parked in front of the garage. All of her work, all of her effort, had been building towards this moment.

"Thank you for coming, ladies." Indigo Zap grinned and gave a slight bow for her audience. "It's been a long time coming. There's been a lot of blood, sweat, and sandwiches poured into this project, and I want you all to know that we wouldn't be standing here today without your help. It probably would've taken an extra month or two." Her hand snaked over to grip the tarp. "But all of our work paid off! Behold!" She yanked the tarp grandly off the shining, freshly waxed ruby red convertible. "Lightning Zap is ready to hit the road!"

The girls' oooh's and aaaah's were suitably pleasing, and Indigo was beaming as she dropped the tarp and turned back to them. "And I'm not done there! To reward us all for our hard work, mom and dad have given me the money to take us all on our first road trip to Las Pegasus!"

"Seriously!?" Lemon Zest squealed. "I've always wanted to go there!"

"Wow! That's so generous!" Twilight Sparkle gulped. "And a long way from here..."

Indigo waved off the concern. "It's only a few hours on the road. We can chill, listen to some tunes, and take in some munchies! And when we get there stay at the world-famous Lost Pegasus Resort!"

"That sounds amazing, Indigo. I'm absolutely in." Sunny Flare turned to glance around at the group. "How about the rest of you?"

"I'm there!" Lemon Zest bounced up and down.

"This has disaster written all over it." Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses. "Naturally I'm in."

"Oh yes, this sounds like a dream come true!" Sour Sweet giggled. "I mean, we're going in a car put together by a teenager in her parents' garage, what could possibly go wrong?"

"This is a really long trip over a long distance." Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat nervously. "Are you sure we shouldn't make better preparations or find a more reliable mode of transport, like plane tickets? You're far more likely to die in a car accident than a plane crash, statistically speaking."

"Relax!" Indigo insisted with a grin. "I've double-checked and triple-checked everything on this baby. Professional racers don't get their cars checked this thoroughly. We'll be fine."

"And it'll be a good experience, Twilight." Sunny smiled down at the smaller girl. "Get out on our own for a few days, just the six of us. No parents, just us and unlimited freedom."

"Sounds... terrifying." Twilight forced a smile.

Sour Sweet slapped her forehead. "Of course it does! Who wants to be free anyway?"

"Come on, Twi!" Indigo Zap slapped her on the shoulder. "Loosen up a bit! I promise we'll take care of you! What could go wrong as long as we're together?"

"Famous last words," Sugarcoat noted.

"Okay..." Twilight nodded with a deep, steadying breath. "Let's do it. I want to come with you."

"Hah! Yeah!" Indigo grinned her approval and gave her friends a thumbs up. "I promise none of you will regret this! We'll have the weekend of our lives!"

"Also famous last words," Sugarcoat noted.

And like that it was set. Indigo Zap was going to show her friends the best time she could, in exchange for giving her so much help working on her car. And it was going to be the best time of their entire lives, she was sure of it.

"Razzle dazzle! Glitz and glam! Turn it all up! It's a spectacle!" Five voices joined in somewhat-harmony as the ruby red convertible flew down the interstate. Even the car's driver was bobbing to the strong bass beat that soared from the car into the surrounding forest. Indigo Zap had the wheel, with Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest up front with her. Meanwhile Sunny Flare was in the back, flanked by Twilight Sparkle and Sour Sweet. Twilight was the only one who wasn't singing, though whether it was because she didn't know the words or she was terrified out of her wits, Indigo couldn't tell.

"Hear the applause! Here to impress! Not just a woman!" The next line was practically screamed at the top of their lungs. "I am the countess!"

They dissolved into joyous laughter as the song's beat faded out, and Sugarcoat reached forward to turn the radio down. "I love Countess Coloratura!" Lemon Zest squealed from the passenger's seat. "Her songs always give me tingles!"

Even Sour Sweet couldn't contain the excitement of being out on the road by themselves, with a broad grin lighting up her usually sour features. "I know! She just gets my blood pumping every time!" She pumped her arms into the air. "I am the countess!"

"Are you holding up okay there, Twilight?" Sunny Flare placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. "You've been quiet since we left the house."

"F-fine..." Twilight spoke in a voice that was clearly not fine. "Just... nearly out of town on my own for the first time ever without anybody I love and trust here to make sure I don't do anything stupid... er... n-not that I don't trust you girls..."

"Hey, no offense taken. I understand." Sunny slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "This is my first time out of town on my own, too. I won't say I'm not nervous, but just try to be optimistic about it. It'll be a wonderful experience we're all going to share."

"And we've made all the right preparations!" Indigo called back from the front seat. "We have all the food and tunes we could ask for! Lemon, pass the lady something to calm her down."

"Right! Just call me Miss Munchy!" Lemon leaned down to rifle through the bags she had tucked by her feet. "What do you want? Something chocolate flavored? Strawberry flavored? Hehe... Lemon-flavored?" She wiggled her eyebrows over the back of her seat.

"Uuhhhh..." Twilight blushed deeply.

"Lemon, please control yourself at least a little." Sunny scolded her softly.

"Sorry... here, have a Snacky Cake. It's my personal favorite." Lemon held a small candy bar out over the back of her seat.

"Thank you." Twilight took the candy bar in one hand, though she didn't move to open it.

The ride continued on in energetic music until all signs of civilization had faded behind them, and they were screaming down the interstate surrounded by lush vegetation at first, which soon gave way to grassy plains. Indigo had her left elbow propped up on the door while her right hand kept them going in the proper direction, her mood bolstered by the laughter and general sense of happiness coming from her friends.

Her mood was still high hours later. Riding down the interstate with her friends by her side and the top down on her fully restored convertible? Yeah, this was the best idea she had ever had.

"I can't deny it, Indigo Zap," Sugarcoat spoke from beside her as they sped through the rolling grasslands. "You did a fantastic job restoring this car. I don't know if I've ever had such a smooth ride before."

"Thanks, I meant it when I said I couldn't have done it without you girls. We all earned this trip." Indigo couldn't keep the grin off of her face.

"And it is going to be amazing! Heeeehehehehe!" Lemon Zest giggled like a madwoman.

They rolled onward until, suddenly, the car began to falter and slow down. "Wh-what the? No! No freaking way! I checked everything! Four times!" Indigo slammed her hand on the wheel for a few moments, then carefully moved to guide the vehicle onto the shoulder of the road as it slowed almost to a stop.

"Hmmm..." Sugarcoat leaned her cheek over Indigo's shoulder to peer at the dashboard curiously. "I think you failed to check the gas tank."

"What?" Indigo's eyes flitted across the dashboard, suddenly spotting the telltale red bar pointed to the giant letter E. She could only stare for a few moments before slamming her forehead into the steering wheel. "Somebody shoot me now..."

"Oh yay! I was right!" Sour Sweet's song echoed across the plains. "This had to end badly!"

"Man, I knew this was too good to be true..." Lemon Zest grumped.

"See? This is why we need adults! This kind of stuff always happens!" Twilight's breath came in deep, panicked gasps.

"Okay, nobody start freaking out! This isn't that bad, and it's not the end of anything." Indigo hefted herself out of the car, marching toward the trunk to pull out a large plastic container. "We passed a service station not too far back. I'll just take a walk, get enough gas to get us to the next station, and we'll be on our way. At worst we'll have to find a hotel for a night, it's not a big deal. You girls chill, listen to some tunes, and I'll be right back."

Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses. "Famous last-"

"Oh shut up!" Sour Sweet snapped

"Excuse me." Sunny flipped herself over the back of the car to slide down the trunk, landing on her feet beside Indigo. "You are not marching down an empty highway alone. There's calm and then there's just plain stupid."

"We can't just ditch the car, someone could steal it!" Indigo complained.

"I'll go with her!" Lemon volunteered as she leapt over the passenger's side door. "My legs could use a good stretch about now anyway."

"I'll go too." Sour Sweet climbed over her door as well, moving to join the others.

"You will?" Indigo looked at her in surprise.

"I love protecting my friends! I also might get to punch someone! It's a win-win!"

"Okay..." Sunny Flare nodded in accepted. "Splitting into two groups of three sounds like the most sensible course of action, under the circumstances. But keep your phones on, in case something bad happens."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be fine. And we'll be back on the road in a jiffy, just you wait." Indigo turned to march back the way they came, her hand waving back behind her. "We'll get this party back on track! You'll see!"

Sugarcoat remained silent until the other three girls were out of earshot before speaking. "Famous last words." Twilight squeaked and shrunk down in the back seat of the car, while Sunny sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Lemon Zest seemed strangely bouncy as she, Indigo Zap, and Sour Sweet marched dutifully onward down the side of the interstate with the empty gas canister. Indigo tried to ignore her, but thankfully, or perhaps not, Sour Sweet had a lot less self-control than her.

"What in the world are you so bouncy about?" Sour Sweet demanded.

"It's just... something else!" Lemon Zest giggled. "Here we are, in a hazardous situation, handling it like real full-grown adults! No principals or parents to bail us out, and we're doing it!"

Sour Sweet gasped. "Oh my gosh I didn't think of it like that! You're so right! We're totally responsible women marching down the street for over an hour like idiots because someone didn't keep an eye on the gas tank!"

Indigo grumbled under her breath. "I think I prefer Lemon's take on the situation."

"And besides," Lemon Zest continued. "We can use this time to get to know each other better! I don't think we've ever sat down and had a heart-to-heart before, Sour Sweet. Just us."

Sour Sweet raised her eyebrow. "Are you flirting with me?"

"No! I mean, not that you're not cute, but I try not to flirt with straight girls." Lemon blushed. "It... does slip out occasionally, but I'm working on it!"

"I never said I was straight."

"Really?" Lemon gasped. "I... guess that's true. I just kind of assumed since you used to talk about Braeburn so much..."

"I didn't say I'm not either." Sour Sweet shoved her hands into her pockets with a low grumble. "Nobody's ever wanted to get close enough for me to find out..."

Lemon smiled. "Is that all? Well that's okay! There are ways to tell! Do you ever think about girls when you're-"

"Let's not go there, please!" Indigo Zap raised her hands in protest. "I don't need to hear about my friends' masturbation habits."

"Oh come on Indigo, it's girl-talk."

"Is it? I've never seen that on the approved list of girl-talk topics."

Sour Sweet interrupted. "I'm not telling you who I get off to anyway!"

"Okay, okay." Lemon Zest moved slightly further away from Sour Sweet. "I won't make you do anything you don't want to." The three girls fell silent, with Lemon's shoes kicking some rocks from the pavement off into the grass beyond.

Sugarcoat was sitting comfortably on the trunk of the car, her elbows wrapped around one knee as she stared out across the grassy plains beside them. "I feel like I should be puffing a cigarette and staring wistfully off into the distance."

"How very cinematic of you," Sunny Flare quipped. "Don't smoke, though, or you'll be puffing a lot more often than just when you're staring dramatically into the distance."

"Yes mom." Sugarcoat saluted.

Sunny rolled her eyes and moved around the car to Twilight's seat, where the meek girl was still sitting in the same place she had while the car was moving. "Hey, Twi, how about we take a walk? I'm sure your legs must be pretty stiff just sitting there."

Twilight glanced up at her, then hunkered down slightly in embarrassment. "I can't even feel them anymore."

"Come on." Sunny pulled the door open and took Twilight's hand, helping the smaller girl climb out and rise to her feet. Twilight leaned against her side as she closed the door and they moved to walk slowly to the other side of the car. "So what do you want to do first when we get to Las Pegasus?"

"Right now? Get a shower. Ewe..." Twilight looked down at herself.

Sunny giggled. "Well, yeah, I mean after that."

"I don't know. I guess I've always wanted to see a magic show. I know it's all smoke and mirrors, but I've always been fascinated with the psychological aspect of it. How they can convince you that something physiologically impossible is actually happening even when you know it's not possible."

"That sounds like a lot of fun, actually. I bet we could convince the others to go to one too, as long as we're there."

"That would be amazing." Twilight smiled. "How about you? Do you have anything you'd like to do while we're there?"

"The hotel we're staying at has a pool, so I was thinking of doing some swimming. Or floating, depending on my mood."

"That sounds like fun too." Twilight nodded. "I didn't think to pack my swimsuit, though."

"It's Las Pegasus. Shopping was just going to come with the territory." Sunny Flare winked. Twilight giggled.

Sunny's gaze was pulled away from her friend when she heard the sound of a roaring engine from the direction of Las Pegasus. A wide midnight-blue truck was coming down the interstate towards them. The two girls moved off to the side to get out of its way, but as it neared the truck slowed to a stop and a rather thick-looking man poked his head out the window.

"You ladies having a little trouble?"

Sunny Flare gently pushed away from Twilight to approach the truck with as bright a smile as she could manage. "We were a little too eager to get to our vacation and ran out of gas, it looks like."

"Yeah? Don't really have much of that myself, I'm afraid." The man smiled sympathetically. "Would you like me to call a service for you?" Sunny frowned, but Sugarcoat suddenly stepped between them with her glasses shoved into one pocket.

"There's a service station not too far down the road." Sugarcoat leaned forward, her elbow resting on the top of the truck's car door, and letting her shirt hang visibly down by accident. "I'm sure you can spare us just enough gas to get there and still get there yourself."

"W-well..." the man stammered. "My mom always told me to take care of ladies who need me."

"She was a wise woman." Sugarcoat's smile was as creepy as it was compelling. "Thank you so much."

"I'll just, uh, get into position for the siphon." The man pulled back into his car.

Sugarcoat turned away to walk back toward her friends, who were both staring at her with wide-eyed expressions of shock. "What?"

"I... didn't know you could flirt," Sunny quipped.

"I'm kind of scared..." Twilight clung to Sunny's arm like she was about to run from a ghost.

Sugarcoat smirked as she slipped her glasses comfortably onto her nose. "Hey, a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do."

Even Lemon Zest's energy was starting to wane as they marched onward, the three girls just plodding along the pavement. Even the sound of their shoes was starting to get old. "I've changed my mind," Lemon Zest quipped. "Being a responsible adult sucks."

"We're making progress, at least." Indigo put a hand over her eyes to block the light while she squinted ahead. "I can just make out a sign up ahead. I think we're almost there."

"Oh yay!" Sour Sweet cheered. "Our journey is almost half over! Lugging the gas back to the car is definitely going to be the fun part!"

"Nobody asked you to come, Sour Sweet." Indigo Zap growled back.

"Well I'm sorry for giving a crap," Sour Sweet countered. "Next time you can walk off alone and get pulled into an unmarked white van or something."

"What white van? We literally haven't seen any other cars." Indigo threw her arms out. "I'd almost like someone to try to kidnap me! At least something would be happening!"

Lemon Zest slipped smoothly between them before the conflict could escalate any further. "Hey, come on girls, we're all a little cranky and sore, but we're doing good! We're helping our friends! And once we're done, we can get on to Las Pegasus, and spend the next few days doing nothing but relaxing and partying! Isn't that worth a long walk and a heavy load?"

"Maybe..." Sour Sweet grumbled.

"Yeah, I guess..." Indigo looked down, her thick boot kicking roughly at some loose pavement. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to yell I just... I can't believe I got us into this. I had it all planned, I checked every detail, and I managed to screw up the smallest thing."

Lemon gave her friend a comforting smile. "Mistakes happen, Indigo."

"And when I pay for them, that's one thing, but getting you guys sucked into it just because you trusted me to do my thing right?" Indigo growled and looked away from them. "I... I'm sorry, okay? I did my best and I still managed to screw up. Now you're only out here because you trusted me."

There was an awkward silence that settled over them for several minutes before Sour Sweet broke it. "The way I remember it, we're out here because we volunteered." Indigo gave her a curious sidelong glance. "Yeah, you screwed up, but we're the ones who wanted to take this walk and help you out. You didn't make us do that."

"Yeah, that's right!" Lemon beamed and threw an arm around each of her friends. "We're out here because we're a team! The Crystal Prep Shadowbolts! And we're not gonna just ditch each other when things get messy, no matter how they got that way!"

"Heh..." A smile spread slowly across Indigo Zap's lips, as if her cheeks were being tugged from each side. "Thanks... I just hope we can leave this all behind us and get our vacation back on track."

"We'll get there! We just gotta keep a positive attitude and work on those biceps, because this thing is going to be heavy once we fill it up."

Indigo Zap chuckled. "We just need a few gallons to get us to the next rest stop. Then we'll be home free."

"That should about do ya." The man plugged the end of the hose with his thumb for a moment after pulling it out of Indigo's car. "Plenty to get you back to the rest stop."

"We really appreciate this." Sugarcoat pulled a ten dollar bill out of her pocket and held it out to him. "Here, for the gas."

"Keep it, like I said, mother always told me to look out for ladies in need."

Sunny grumbled. "There's a line between chivalry and condescension..."

Sugarcoat stepped in front of Sunny. "What she means to say is thank you. You've been a real life saver for us."

"You ladies take care of yourselves now." The man smiled and gave them a wave before climbing into his truck and continuing on his way down the interstate.

"If I hear the word 'ladies' one more time today..." Sunny grumbled.

"I don't think I've heard you get so bitter since before the Friendship Games, Sunny," Sugarcoat mused curiously. "Have we finally found one of your elusive buttons?"

"We have names is all I'm saying."

"Names we didn't tell him."

"Oh... that... is a good point, actually." Sunny blushed.

"Yes, it is." Sugarcoat shoved her bill back in her pocket and turned to march back to the car. "I'll drive us back to the station if you'll help me keep an eye out for the others on the way... ladies."

Sunny sighed. "You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"I'll probably get bored of it soon enough." Sugarcoat hopped into the driver's seat and clasped her seatbelt around her. "Now come on, we're burning daylight."

"Right." Sunny shook her head and she climbed over the door into the back seat. Twilight took her own seat more slowly, opening the door for herself. Once they were all seated, Sugarcoat turned them around to take off back the way they had come.

They made their way back, and Sunny was surprised to find that they made it all the way to the gas station before they spotted their three friends kneeling in front of one of the pumps with their gas canister in hand. They really must have been moving to make it this distance, it had taken them almost ten minutes at over sixty to get here.

"Hey, girls!" Sunny waved her hands as Sugarcoat pulled up in front of the station. "We got a quick fill-up! You don't have to carry the gas back!"

"Huh?" Sour Sweet looked up. "What!? Are you fucking kidding me!? We walked for two hours straight to get here and you turn up at the same time we do in the car!?" She leapt to her feet, marching toward the car.

Sunny patted the back of Sugarcoat's seat. "Drive." The car lurched forward as Sour Sweet broke into a run.

Sour Sweet gave furious chase. "You get the fuck back here! I'm not going to let you get away with this! You have to stop some time or you'll run out of gas again! And when you do I'm gonna make you regret letting us walk halfway across the fucking country for no reason! Do you hear me, motherfuckers!?"

Twilight Sparkle turned forward in her seat once the yelling faded into the distance. "We're going back for them, right?"

"As soon as it's safe..." Sunny blushed.

Thankfully, that time didn't take too long to come. Sour Sweet tired herself out after five minutes of screaming and collapsed to her knees on the street, panting for air. Sunny made sure to bring her friend back into the car to return her to the station, where Indigo and Lemon were looking just as annoyed, but far more grateful.

"I'm just glad we don't have to walk all the way back with this thing. Even just a few gallons is pretty heavy." Indigo explained as she and Lemon dumped what they had purchased into the tank from their canister.

"Over long distances, I'm sure." Sunny spoke from the back seat, where she was holding a bottle of water up to an exhausted Sour Sweet's lips. "I'm actually impressed you made it all the way here."

"Heh, we managed to keep each other motivated." Indigo grinned. "Besides, like I said, I'm going to get us to Las Pegasus to have a great time if it kills me."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sugarcoat pulled the gas pump from the car after filling it the rest of the way and placed it back on the pump. "Let's get this show on the road already. I'd rather spend the night in an actual resort than some fly-infested interstate motel."

"Yeah!" Lemon pumped her fist into the air. "I've gotten my legs all stretched, now let's hit the home stretch to vacation land!"

"Yes, please..." Twilight settled into her seat with a relieved sigh.

"Then let's get this show on the road, ladies." Sugarcoat reclaimed her middle front seat as Sunny rolled her eyes with a soft blush.

"Everybody make sure you're buckled in," Indigo spoke as she pulled out of the station and turned them back down the interstate again. "We're not stopping until we hit Las Pegasus..."

The sun was long gone by the time Lightning Zap rolled into Las Pegasus, but the neon lights that lit up the horizon and the palpable energy still coming off of the dozens of people wandering the streets kept the six Crystal Prep friends awake as they moved through the streets towards their destination. The going was slow, but there was so much to see that they didn't even mind. Advertisements for food, dancing, gambling, magic shows, comedy shows, even some that made Twilight blush and put her hand between herself and them.

Traffic was still terrible even this late, but at last they rolled into the massive parking garage of Las Pegasus' biggest and oldest resort casino, the Lost Pegasus. Stiff, creaking legs protested as the friends climbed out of the car and pulled their luggage from the trunk, limited to one big bag apiece. Indigo put the top up on her convertible, locked it up, and they made their way into the lobby.

"Geeze, this place is like something out of a movie." Lemon Zest gaped as they entered the massive entrance lobby, which was lined with soft bulbs in the shape of candles with the warm scent of incense greeting them at the door.

"Actually, a lot of movies have been filmed here," Sugarcoat pointed out. "So it's more like the movies are something out of this place."

"Whatever, awe, awe, awe, blah, blah blah..." Sour Sweet yawned into one hand. "Can we get to sleep some time tonight?"

"Relax, we're almost there! We even have reservations!" Indigo swept up to the main desk and set her bag down as she leaned against it. "Three room luxury suite under Indigo Zap."

"Three rooms?" Sunny asked as the others moved to keep up with her. "Isn't that a little excessive? We could make do with one or two."

"We're here to relax, and being crowded ain't relaxing." Indigo winked as she passed her credit card to the clerk.

The clerk tapped at his computer keyboard for a moment before getting back to them. "You have the fourth luxury suite up on the sixth floor, ma'am. Three bedrooms."

"Great news my good man." Indigo grinned, then took three sets of keys and turned back to her friends. "The beds are plenty big enough for two people, but more than that and things will just get weird."

"That depends on how much you enjoy sleeping with other girls," Sugarcoat quipped. "We should decide who is going to be sleeping together, then."

"I'll stay with Sunny." Twilight was instantly clinging to Sunny's arm.

Sunny just gave her a comforting smile. "That sounds fine to me." Twilight returned her smile as Sunny took one of the keys from Indigo.

"I'll stay with Indigo," Lemon Zest and Sugarcoat spoke at the same time, giving each other a sharp, challenging glare afterwards.

"Heh, come on girls, I know I'm kind of cool, but we can't all sleep with me." Indigo chuckled. "How about I stay with Lemon and Sugarcoat can stay with Sour Sweet?"

"Or you can stay with me and Lemon Zest can stay with Sour Sweet," Sugarcoat suggested.

"She already said I'm staying with her." Lemon insisted.

"She's not in charge, we have to agree," Sugarcoat countered.

"And she and I agreed, you're the one being a butt." Lemon glared.

"Well I don't agree with you two, we're going to have to figure out something-"

Sour Sweet suddenly snapped one of the keys out of Indigo's hand, giving all three of them a sharp glare of rage mixed with sadness from twitching eyes. When she spoke it was a sharp tone through gritted teeth. "I'll sleep alone." She whirled to march toward the elevator by herself, pushing aside two other patrons who were waiting to get in.

Sunny Flare gave her other friends a sharp glare. "Nice going, you three, trying to push her off on each other. Way to make her feel wanted and appreciated."

"Sorry, Sunny..." Lemon rubbed one arm. "It's just... could you imagine sharing a bed with her? Who knows what could happen in the middle of the night?"

"It is something of a risk," Sugarcoat agreed.

Sunny just shook her head and moved past the three girls, pulling Twilight with her towards the next elevator. "Then I hope you three enjoy sharing one bed."

Indigo, Lemon, and Sugarcoat exchanged guilty glances for a moment before Indigo moved to follow Sunny towards the elevator. It was going to be a long vacation, but at least they could begin with a nice night of sleep.

( **To Be Continued** )


	19. Independence Day (Uncut Version) Pt II

**A/N: Hello, everyone, This is SkullCrusher550. Hope you enjoy this story of 'ShadowBolt Adventure'. Please review this one on the review section, press the button of 'Follow and Favorite' at the upper left of the screen please enjoy.**

 **Shadowbolt Adventure: Chapter XIX: Independence Day Part II: My Normal**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

Their first day in Las Pegasus began with a less than enthusiastic start. They had two bathrooms between the six of them in this luxury suite, so showers were somewhat slow to finish, and Sour Sweet refused to open her door until Sunny coaxed her out. The fatigue from the long drive coupled with the emotional sting from the night before took its toll on their excitement, but once they were freshly showered and ready to face the day, things started to look up again as they convened in the center living room.

"So, we're here! What are our plans for the day?" Twilight asked.

The others exchanged a blank glance before Indigo spoke. "Plans?"

"Um, yes." Twilight looked back and forth between the blank faces before her. "We drove hundreds of miles just to get here, surely we know how we're going to experience this place, right? I mean, driving this far and just winging it would be kookytown... right?"

There was silence until Indigo Zap spoke up. "Well, if it helps I wanna check out the strip! There's supposed to be some killer food there! I mean literally, this stuff will stop your heart if you so much as look at it, it's so bad for you."

"And you want to eat it." Sugarcoat mused.

"What? I'm adventurous."

Lemon Zest chimed in. "I'll go with Indigo. I totally wanna see what this place is all about."

"I believe Twilight and I already made a date to check out the hotel's indoor swimming pool after some shopping." Sunny turned to her bespectacled friend. "If you're still up for it."

"Oh, yes, that sounds nice." Twilight nodded, looking relieved to have a plan after all.

"I think I'll tour the rest of the hotel," Sugarcoat chimed in. "This place is supposed to have the biggest video arcade left in the country. It's practically a museum."

"I do like museums..." Twilight mused.

"How about you, Sour Sweet?" Sunny turned to her last friend with a warm smile. "You're welcome to join Twilight and I at the pool."

"No thanks." Sour Sweet shook her head vehemently. "I think I'll order breakfast and see what they have playing on the TV."

"The TV?" Indigo recoiled. "We drove all the way out here, you can't just sit cooped up in here in front of the TV."

"Excuse me, I can do whatever the fuck I want!" Sour Sweet glared at her sharply, then shook her head and marched toward her room. "You guys go have fun, I'm staying here, end of story." She slipped inside and slammed the door behind her, making everyone else wince.

Lemon Zest's voice was tinged with worry when she broke the silence. "Has anybody else noticed that Sour Sweet is getting way more sour than sweet lately? I mean way more than she used to."

"Definitely." Sugarcoat nodded. "She has always been sarcastic and moody, but she's been flipping out at the drop of a hat lately. She managed to get one of the gentlest girls at Crystal Prep to chase her off with an axe, and I'm still surprised Aloe and Lotus didn't ban us from the Love Spa."

"Maybe..." Indigo hesitated. "Do you think she needs stronger meds?"

"I think she needs good friends who accept her for who she is and let her deal with her own struggles until she asks for help." Sunny Flare turned her gaze on the group. "In the meantime, let's plan to meet back here at six PM tonight. We can order in dinner and chow down in our PJ's while we chill and share the gossip of the day."

"That sounds great, Sunny! We'll be here!" Lemon Zest nodded eagerly.

"Six PM sharp it is," Sugarcoat agreed.

"Then let's do this. Let's see what this town has to offer." Sunny turned to lead the way out the front door, which closed authoritatively behind them.

Sour Sweet sat on the needlessly extravagant sofa in the middle of the suite's living room, her head lying numbly on the back as she stared blankly at the massive 70 inch screen that was showing some movie whose name she forgot the instant she picked it. It felt strange. Even she couldn't quite pinpoint why she felt so down and tired. She just didn't want to leave the room. In fact she kind of wished she'd just stayed home where she wouldn't make her friends nervous just by being around.

She rubbed her forehead lightly with two fingers. No, they had invited her for a reason. They wanted her here, even if they didn't want to spend time with her. Well, she was here. Hopefully they were happy with that, because she sure wasn't.

She wished she could be happy about it, though...

Her eyes darted up from the TV screen when the suite door opened and Sunny Flare made her way inside, trailed closely by Twilight Sparkle. Sunny gave her a warm smile the instant she saw her. "Hey, did you have a nice time?"

"Meh," Sour Sweet grunted. A glance at the clock showed that it was about six PM now. "How about you two?"

"The pool was nice. Ran into one creep, but that was to be expected I guess." Sunny approached the couch to drop onto it beside her. "You had anything to eat yet today?" Sour Sweet stopping to think about it was all the answer she needed. "I'll go ahead and call in room service. It should hopefully be here by the time the others arrive."

"Meh," Sour Sweet grunted again, but Sunny just patted her knee and reached for the phone beside the couch.

She tried to hone in on the movie and drown out Sunny on the phone, and then the arrival of her other friends. She could hear Lemon Zest chattering excitedly about the shops down along the strip, and Sugarcoat grumbling something about some jerk trying to challenge her down in the gaming arcade. Sour Sweet really didn't care, though. She was too busy trying to watch a crappy movie, and then another crappy movie after that one ended. Just tune out the world, drown it out, she didn't need to be a part of it right now.

"Food's here!" That enticing call drew her back into the world. Well, the world wasn't so bad in small doses, after all.

She climbed up from the couch to join the others near the door, where a large trolley was just being wheeled in for them, with several silver platters lining the top of it, and two bottles of soda sitting in ice-buckets.

"Thanks." Sunny slipped their waiter a few bills. "Keep the change."

"Thank you, ma'am." The waiter bowed gratefully before he left, the door closing quickly behind him.

"Mmmmh, it actually smells amazing." Lemon Zest licked her lips and sniffed deeply at one of the platters. "Smells like shrimp!"

"You're good." Sunny whipped the top of the platter off the tray, revealing a plate full of shrimp and lettuce.

"Hehe, I have an awesome nose." Lemon grinned.

"And what do we have here?" Indigo Zap plucked one of the bottles out of a bucket curiously, her eyes scanning the label. "Hey, this ain't soda..."

"No? What is it?" Sugarcoat asked curiously.

A wicked grin spread across Indigo's lips. "Complimentary wine."

"Whoa! Seriously!?" Lemon gasped.

"Must have been a mixup in the kitchen." Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses.

"Certainly!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "I'll give them a call and let them know!" Twilight reached for the phone, but Indigo intercepted her wrist before she could touch it.

"Hold on there, Twi. We were just given our own bottles of wine to try out! It would be ridiculous not to give them a little taste, don't you think?"

Twilight protested immediately. "But we're too young to drink. You have to be twenty-one!"

"What could a couple of sips hurt?" Indigo waved off her concern. "We don't need to get smashed or anything! Maybe just a little feel-good buzz."

"But it's wrong!" Twilight insisted more vehemently than Sour Sweet had ever seen her argue before. "It's against the rules for a reason! It's dangerous and irresponsible!"

"Sure is," Sugarcoat agreed as she poured some of the rose-colored liquid into several glasses. She held one out to Sunny Flare. "Here, you get the first, lady."

Sunny took the glass between her fingers with a smirk. "You're so chivalrous."

"Sunny, not you too!" Twilight backed away from the group. "Please, we can't just throw away the rules! They're the foundation of society! If we just disregard the rules then we're no better than the criminals who roam the streets!"

"Criminals?" Sugarcoat raised her eyebrow.

"Okay, Twilight, I think we need to have a little talk in private." Sunny moved toward her and reached for her hand, taking it gently in her palm.

"But they're just going to start getting drunk!" Twilight protested even as she was pulled towards the door.

"We'll deal with that later." Sunny slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Sugarcoat poured her last glass of wine with a wry smirk on her lips. "Remember. Every sip you drink is a dagger through Twilight Sparkle's heart. So enjoy."

Twilight whirled on Sunny Flare once they were in the privacy of the bedroom, her fists balling up beside her. "I-I'm sorry, Sunny, but I have to stand up for what's right! I-I mean, we're not old enough to drink! The laws exist for a very clear reason! It's irresponsible, and completely immature for us to just ignore laws that are inconvenient for us!"

"You're right, mostly," Sunny replied.

"I..." Twilight trailed off, as if not expecting an agreement. "Well, yeah, thank you! So you'll help me convince them to stop, right? It's not too late to return the bottle."

"No, I won't." Sunny leaned against the door with her arms folded over her chest, her wine glass still clutched between two fingers in her right hand. "I'm not saying that drinking the wine would be a good thing, or a smart thing, but it's something we've chosen to do."

"What are you talking about? Why would you choose to do something that's not good or smart? That doesn't even make sense..."

Sunny chuckled, swirling the wine around her glass with one hand. "We're not robots, Twilight, we're allowed to make bad decisions."

"Children make bad decisions, adults follow the rules." Twilight glared.

"Do they?" Sunny countered with a raised eyebrow. "So you've never seen someone decide to do something rash?"

"Well... of course I have, but those people aren't role-models."

"Neither are we." Sunny took a deep breath. "Twilight, being a mature adult isn't just about following the rules or calculating what the best course of action is. Being a mature adult is about making decisions and taking responsibility for them." Sunny took a slow, thoughtful sip from her glass. "Sometimes those decisions might explode in your face... and sometimes nothing will happen at all. Calculated risks are just a part of life."

"I just don't see what good could come out of this to justify the risk." Twilight shook her head. "What do you stand to gain from throwing out the rules and getting drunk?"

Sunny just smiled. "Memories." Twilight's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she remained silent at that. "Besides, it's not like we're slamming shots in a bar surrounded by strange men. We're locked in a hotel room with friends we trust. I can't think of a safer place to get a little wild and stupid than right here and right now."

Twilight looked away from her for several long moments, as if scanning the carpet for new information. When she looked up her eyes were much softer. "Okay, Sunny. But I still don't want to drink."

"We'll respect that decision, as long as you'll respect ours."

"Okay." Twilight nodded. "Just promise nobody will get drunk enough to break anything."

"You know my stance on unkeepable promises." Sunny winked and clapped her hand on her shoulder. "Come on, let's get changed and go get some grub with our friends."

In the main suite, the laughter was bubbling out of the four nightie-clad girls as they sat around the sofa and TV with their plates in their laps and their glasses of wine beside them. Even Sour Sweet finally seemed to be relaxing somewhat after half a glass, a fact that made Lemon Zest smile. It would be great to finally get her in a good mood again. Not that Lemon herself was in a bad mood. She couldn't stop giggling as Sugarcoat shared her Las Pegasus experience.

"So this Button Mash punk just won't leave me alone." Sugarcoat put her hands behind her head. "Until I beat him at Triple Dragon with double his score. That shut him up in a hurry."

"I did not know you were so good at video games, Sugarcoat." Lemon giggled. "You're usually so focused I didn't think you ever just relaxed and had fun."

"Being observant doesn't mean I can't cut loose," Sugarcoat pointed out. "How about you two? Anything exciting happen while you were out on the streets?"

"I met a guy while we were out." Indigo shrugged. "He seemed cool for a while, but well... things didn't go so well in the end."

Sugarcoat pondered for a moment. "He was a bigot, wasn't he?"

"Wow... how can you tell that just from what I said?" Indigo blinked.

"I know you. Being overly critical of your friends is the only reason you would dismiss someone outright."

"Heh... well, you're right. He got all up in Lemon's face about checking out some of the chicks. We walked out the door right after."

"I still think you could've given him another chance..." Lemon insisted.

"Not a chance. You're way more important to me than some boy."

"But you can't miss out on some boy just because of me!"

"Save it, I already made my choice." Indigo shrugged, then turned to Sour Sweet. "So what did you do today? Did you find anything cool on the TV?"

"Nah, this place just has weird channels." Sour Sweet smirked. "I think I saw more interesting car commercials than I did TV shows."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Lemon Zest asked curiously.

"There was one where some douchebag pretended to be riding a giant rubber spider."

"And... that related to cars, how?" Sugarcoat asked curiously.

"Proving that their cars are smoother rides than the giant spider, I guess."

"Ah, of course." Sugarcoat nodded. "A key comparison if ever there was one."

"It was a hoot... just not as much of one as flirting with some boy out on the streets." Sour Sweet huffed.

"Hey, nobody said you couldn't come," Indigo retorted. "You could've joined any of us, you chose to sit here and do nothing."

"I know," Sour Sweet growled under her breath. "It's not like it would have mattered if I had gone. Nobody flirts with me."

"I think I could tell you why." Sugarcoat opened her mouth to continue, but was immediately interrupted.

"Why? Because I scare everybody off? Because nobody wants to risk being close to a fucking psychopath!?" Sour Sweet rose to her feet with her fists clenched. "Because my brain isn't wired right and nobody in their right mind will ever want to get close enough to me to so much as fucking kiss me!? Is that why!? Of course it is! It's always been why! It's why I'll be fucking alone forever!" Sour Sweet whirled away from the other girls, marched to her room, and slammed the door so hard they swore they could hear the doorframe crack.

Lemon Zest and Indigo just stared after her with jaws agape, then lowered their gaze to Sugarcoat, who looked back with wide, stunned eyes.

"Don't give me that look..." Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses. "I was just going to tease her about her freckles..."

"Sour Sweet..." Lemon grunted and leapt to her feet, rushing to her friend's door.

She found it unlocked, pushing it open slowly, but she squeaked and pulled back slightly when she saw Sour Sweet sitting on her bed, digging through her suitcase. She was grunting and Lemon could see her shoulders shaking in the fading orange light filtering in through the window behind her, until she found what she was looking for, a small pill bottle. Sour Sweet popped it open, shoved a pill into her mouth, then took a long, deep swig of water from a bottle she also pulled from her bag.

Lemon waited in the doorframe just out of sight where she could peek through, watching Sour Sweet sit on the edge of her bed with her head down, one hand over her chest. After a few minutes Sour Sweet's shaking began to calm, and the sound of her breathing became more regular. Once she was sure the room was calm, Lemon Zest slipped into the room as if she had just opened the door.

"Hey." Lemon Zest closed the door gently behind her. "Are you okay?"

"No." Sour Sweet's voice was strangely calm and flat. "No I'm not okay."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lemon approached the bed cautiously. She didn't want to leave her friend feeling bad, but she was still unpredictable. "Why are you feeling so bad? You never got this way before..."

"Maybe I didn't realize it before..." Sour Sweet wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "How doomed to being alone I was."

"Doomed?" Lemon shook her head. "You're not doomed to being alone, why would you think that?"

"Because of you," Sour Sweet grunted.

"Me?" Lemon blinked in surprise. "Why me?"

"Because I always figured I just needed to grow up some more. Get older, learn how to deal with people, and let people learn how to deal with me. When I was grown up, I'd be able to get good friends or a boyfriend or whatever..." Sour Sweet glanced up at Lemon under her eyebrows. "Then you told us you were with Vinyl Scratch and I realized... holy crap, we're eighteen now! Eighteen years old, and I haven't done anything! No dating, no sex, no kissing, not even any googly eyed puppy love bullshit!" She groaned and clutched at her head with both hands, her fists pressing into her temple. "I always scared everybody away! Even you guys are scared of me! Why do I have to fucking terrify everybody!? Why can't I just be normal!?"

Her all-too-familiar words sent a cold chill racing through Lemon Zest's heart. Despite knowing about Sour Sweet's issues and knowing that she was medicated, it had never occurred to Lemon what it all meant. What it meant to feel so different to everyone else, to feel like she was on a dead end course through life just because her body wasn't wired the way it was supposed to be. Maybe their issues weren't the same, but it was a feeling Lemon knew all too well.

Lemon just stared down at her friend as she rocked back and forth on the bed with her head in her hands, her shoulders beginning to shake again. Suddenly Sour Sweet reached for her bag, but her hand was stopped when Lemon plopped down on the bed beside her and threw her arms around her, bringing her into a tight, close hug. Sour Sweet grunted in surprise, her head lifting from Lemon's shoulder to look at the side of her head.

"No more medicine..." Lemon shook her head. "I don't want it to hurt you."

"Lemon..." Sour Sweet blushed. "It doesn't hurt me, I just... need it to calm down..."

Lemon shook her head. "Well not right now..." Lemon Zest stroked her back softly. "I don't want you to take it."

Sour Sweet was silent for a few moments before, slowly, her arms lifted from the bed to wrap around Lemon as well. "O-okay... if you say so..."

"I'm so sorry we made you feel bad yesterday." Lemon Zest gulped. "We just... take for granted that you're our friend. We thought nothing we said could hurt you. You yell a lot, but you always let everything slide right off of you. And someday, Sour Sweet, you will find someone you can love. You will kiss them, you will make googly eyes, you will make love to them. I know you can do that."

"No you don't..." Sour Sweet muttered close to her ear, though her hug only tightened around her. "You don't know any of that."

"Of course I do..." Lemon Zest released the hug only slightly so she could pull back, looking into Sour Sweet's eyes. Her tears reflected orange in the fiery light from the window. "If you scared us away, Sour Sweet, we wouldn't be here. We don't need to hang out with you, we do it because it's worth it." Lemon blushed. "Yeah... you can be scary and difficult, sometimes... but you're also a great friend when we get past all of that. We love you."

Sour Sweet sniffled and reached up to wipe a tear away with one hand, taking a deep, trembling breath. "Th-thank you..." She blinked and shook her head quickly for a moment, then looked back into Lemon's eyes, her gaze a bit more calm, though still moist. "I'm sorry, this is just ridiculous... I feel so stupid after I wig out..."

"You're not stupid..." Lemon brought a hand up to stroke her cheek tenderly, wiping a tear from her skin with one palm. "You're just Sour Sweet. We're okay with it... and there are others who will be too. Because Sour Sweet's pretty awesome. And hot."

"Heh..." Sour Sweet's lips broke into an almost involuntary smile. "Now you're just kissing my butt to make me feel better..."

Lemon Zest giggled, a light, seemingly insignificant sound that nonetheless chased the tension right out of the room. "Maybe a little... but I'm glad it's working."

"Mmm..." Sour Sweet's breath was calm now, as she stared into Lemon's eyes again, their arms still wrapped around one-another in a fluid embrace. Her eyes flicked downward, then back up again. "You know, you're kind of hot too..."

"Yeah? Thanks." Lemon grinned.

"I know nobody wanted to sleep in the same bed with me, but..." Sour Sweet took a deep breath, as if steeling herself. "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

Lemon Zest stared at her for a moment, then blushed slowly. "Heh... I-I know you didn't mean to make that sound like more than just sleeping."

Sour Sweet looked down for a moment, then back up at her eyes. "What if I did?"

"Why would you...?" Lemon asked curiously. "You said you don't know if you're even into girls."

"One way to find out..." Sour Sweet shrugged softly. "And I think it sounds nice... to be closer to you."

Lemon bit her lip, her eyes flicking downward. She had to admit, as much as she tried not to think of her friends sexually, sitting like this with her arms around Sour Sweet in that nightgown... it gave a girl thoughts. Especially now that the freakout had passed, and the mood had been lightened up a bit. The crisis was over, leaving her with a great friend who was barely dressed, hot as Tartarus, and giving her a look that begged for attention.

"As long as this isn't just because... you know..." Lemon Zest coughed. "I don't want to... take advantage of things..."

"I'm totally lucid, I promise." Sour Sweet nodded in assurance. "Especially right after I take my medicine. I mean, I guess I can't account for the wine, but I want to do it. But you can say no. I won't flip out, I promise."

Lemon Zest couldn't help but believe her, on both counts. She wasn't sure she had ever seen the girl this serious before. She had always been moody, oftentimes angry, but this was the first time she had ever seen that calm, calculating look in her eye. Her brain was firing on all cylinders, and she wanted Lemon Zest. And boy, did Lemon Zest have to admit, maybe it was partly the wine talking, but she really wanted Sour Sweet now too.

Lemon Zest slowly slid her hand around Sour Sweet's body, her palm moving up her stomach to gently cup her breast. Sour Sweet's breath caught in her throat as Lemon moved forward to softly press her lips against her own. When Sour Sweet showed no signs of resistance or retreat, Lemon leaned forward all the way, slowly pushing her onto her back with her head on the pillow.

Lemon's lips moved slowly to one cheek, kissing the scattered freckles she found there, and moving slowly down the cute trail of dots to Sour Sweet's chest. Sour Sweet felt tense under her arms, though whether that was because of her prior tension or if she was having second thoughts about this, Lemon couldn't tell. Her doubts were put to rest, however, when Sour Sweet's fingers only dug tighter into her back.

Neither of them had ever had sex before, though Lemon had extensive makeout sessions under her belt. Neither knew what they were doing, but they did it with gusto. Even the taste of Sour Sweet's sweat was surprisingly exciting for something that was usually so totally gross. The taste, the smell, the sounds she made only drove Lemon even further than she imagined. She had never done this before, but good Goddess did she feel like she needed it now.

And Sour Sweet did not fail to participate. Lemon did the work at first, but after a while Sour Sweet's tension began to ease, and her body began clawing back at her, pawing at her in the most delicious ways until she, too, was getting those tastes and sounds from Lemon. Neither of them were thinking anymore, they weren't even focusing on pleasuring each other. It was just clumsy feeling and exploring, but it was one of the most intense things Lemon Zest had ever experienced.

The final sound of Sour Sweet's voice crying out through the darkened room like a bell at last signaled the end. Lemon was panting heavily, her body lying against Sour Sweet's as she stared down into her friend's glazed, but quickly focusing eyes. Sour Sweet's breath was just as ragged, but she returned Lemon's wide, relaxed smile. Lemon Zest slowly rolled off of her, lying atop the bedsheets with her chest heaving for air.

For a while the two girls just lay together in the darkness, letting themselves come down from their orgasms while the cool air from the AC swept the sweat from their skin. At last it was Sour Sweet who broke the silence. "Lemon Zest?"

"Hm?"

"I think I'm bisexual," Sour Sweet confirmed in a calm tone.

Lemon couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I believe you..."

"Hehe..." Sour Sweet giggled a bit herself. "Thanks, Lemon... I don't know if it was the talk, the wine, the medicine, the orgasm or... everything, but I feel a lot better now."

Lemon reached across the bed to grip her friend's hand. "If you need anything, just tell us. You don't gotta keep it inside."

"I'll keep that in mind..." Sour Sweet nodded, then raised her other hand to her lips to contain a yawn. "Mmmh, I think I'm ready for bed. You're staying here, right?"

"Yeah, I'd love to." Lemon smiled.

"Cool. Just stay over there. I won't be responsible for what I do if you try to cuddle me in my sleep."

"Yes ma'am." Lemon Zest gave her a silly salute. Sour Sweet released Lemon's hand and shifted to bring the blanket up to her chest, rolling to turn away from Lemon Zest and settle down in a calm slumber.

Lemon watched her back for a while, lifting one finger to trace small lines between the freckles near her shoulders until she too finally grew tired and rolled onto her back, bringing the blanket up over her own chest. She stared up at the ceiling, feeling relaxed, but there was still a nagging worry tugging at the back of her mind. No matter how she tried to fight it off, it kept coming back to her, stronger and more intense.

What would Vinyl Scratch think?

( **To Be Continue** )


	20. Independence Day (Uncut Version) Pt III

**A/N: Hello, everybody, this is SkullCrusher550. Hope you enjoy the last part of 'ShadowBolt Adventure', the part II will be continue if I finished the 'Command & Conquer Series' and the two 'Equestria Girls Film' if possible. So reviews are welcome, and so the 'favorites and followers'.**

 **Shadowbolt Adventure: Chapter XX: Independence Day Part III: Acceptance is Magic**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MLP it belongs to Hasbro, this story belongs to DragonShadow**

 **#PleaseSupport**

 **#R &R**

It felt like a pall had been cast over what should have been the vacation of a lifetime. The sun had risen, but it didn't bring much cheer as Sunny Flare, Twilight Sparkle, Indigo Zap, and Sugarcoat gathered on the living room sofa of their resort suite around a box of donuts they had ordered from room service. They spoke in hushed tones, as if afraid they would awaken the girls who were still locked in the far bedroom near the window.

"I can't believe I never noticed..." Sunny shook her head with a glazed donut dangling limply in her hand. "Freaking out at seeing Braeburn with Little Strongheart, flipping out at the Love Spa... the signs were there, I just didn't connect the dots." She took a forceful bite.

"What would you have done if you did?" Sugarcoat asked simply. "You were onto something when you said we needed to let her come to us for help. This doesn't change that."

"Still, I feel really bad about making her feel so crappy." Indigo put one finger to her forehead. "There's got to be something we can do to make it up to her."

"Maybe a gift-basket?" Twilight smiled helpfully, but her smile faded after a moment. "I don't know..."

"Hey." A voice made all four girls jump and whirl to look behind the couch, where Sour Sweet was standing in her nightgown with a strangely serene look on her face. "Ooh, donuts!" She leaned over the couch to snap up a chocolate glaze and take a casual bite, speaking with her mouth full. "So what's the plan for the day?"

"Uh..." Indigo shook her head. "Twilight suggested a magic show tonight. We figure it's not a bad way to close out our vacation."

"Killer, I'm coming with! I call dibs on the shower!" Sour Sweet was almost bouncy as she turned to make her way to the bathroom, shoving the rest of her donut into her mouth before slipping in and closing the door behind her.

The four girls stared after her, almost in shock. None of them said anything until they noticed the far bedroom door open, and Lemon Zest stepped out in her own nightgown, stretching and leaving the door partly open behind her.

"There's the girl with the magic tongue," Sugarcoat greeted her.

"E-excuse me?" Lemon Zest whirled on them with a start.

"You actually managed to talk Sour Sweet into a good mood."

"Oh! Ahahaha! Haha! Hahahahaha! Yeah, I sure did a lot of talking!" Lemon Zest rubbed the back of her neck nervously as she approached the couch. Her eyes lit up. "Ooh, donuts!" She snapped one out of the box and began nibbling on it.

Sunny's smile was wide and genuine. "Thank you for being a good friend to her, Lemon Zest. That sure takes a load off of all our minds. We might actually be able to enjoy the day now."

"Are you gonna tell us what was bothering her so much?" Indigo asked curiously. "She was lonely, wasn't she? That's what it sounded like."

Lemon looked away nervously. "Eh, sort of... I don't know if it's my place to go into details."

"Of course not. She'll come to us if she needs us." Sunny waved away the question. "The rest of us have already showered. Why don't you go ahead and use the free one? Then we can see what mischief we can get into before the magic show tonight."

"Yeah, you smell like you could really use the shower..." Indigo pulled her head away with a grimace.

"Psh, rude..." Lemon Zest pulled away from her with a deep blush on her cheeks. "Yeah, just lemme get cleaned up and we can take off!" She turned to rush toward the second bathroom, leaving the four other girls staring after her.

"Does anybody else feel like she was hiding something?" Indigo Zap scrunched her face up in thought.

"I don't even care. I'm just glad everybody's okay now." Sunny grinned. "Let's get dressed and get ready to hit the town."

It wasn't long before the six friends were smelling fresh and fully dressed to hit the town of Las Pegasus together, with Sour Sweet joining them this time. It was almost amazing what a difference a night had made for her disposition. The reign of snide comments and glares continued, but the smiles flowed far more readily than they had in recent weeks, and the others couldn't help but notice that she stayed just a little bit closer to Lemon Zest than the rest. As Sunny had said, though, it didn't matter why she was happy or what made her happy. Only that they could actually have fun now.

And fun they did have. Las Pegasus was a big place with a lot to see, and they had hours to kill before the scheduled Silverfield show. Sugarcoat showed the others the arcade in the lower section of the Lost Pegasus, which truly was the biggest they had ever laid eyes on, even if it was only three rooms deep.

"The art of standing up while you play games has truly been lost," Sugarcoat grumped.

"Uh, Sugarcoat? You can't be nostalgic for a time you weren't alive for." Indigo snickered.

"I can imagine what it was like. Standing at a cabinet and trying to focus while you're surrounded by noisy, impatient people who want their turn and other machines making screeching noises to try to get customer attention..." She put a hand to her chin. "Actually, screw it. That sounds absolutely terrible."

Next the girls went just a few streets over where there was a row of clothing stores, jewelry stores, and all kinds of different things. They even found their way into a small gift shop on the corner that sold Las Pegasus memorabilia. Little miniatures of the Las Pegasus flags, porcelain Pegasus statues, maps of the town, and an entire wall of cheesy greeting cards themed around shopping, gambling, and being generally lazy... or lascivious, in some cases.

Sour Sweet crept toward each other with her hands behind her back, only to whip them out once she got close. In her hands was a little porcelain Pegasus figure, which she held out to Lemon. They united in a little squeal and rushed to the counter to pay, with Lemon taking the figurine afterwards with an ecstatic grin. They looked happy, but Lemon's eyes were slightly clouded when Sour Sweet looked away. Sunny Flare couldn't help but notice this, but she still didn't care that much. Rocking this boat wasn't high on her priority list.

Once they had filled up on useless knicknacks they had time left to fill on up food, which they found at a nearby burger place, Humpin Buns, which specialized in burgers and hot dogs. Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, and Indigo Zap couldn't stop giggling at the name as they ordered and sat down at one of the outdoor tables to eat, taking in the ambience of Las Pegasus' bustling crowds who were all just as eager to see everything as they were.

"I almost wanna skip the show and just keep wandering around town." Lemon Zest giggled. "This is way too much fun."

Sunny smiled. "I know how you feel, but we've already ordered the tickets, and we should leave this place with something big in our minds."

"Yeah, and what's bigger than magic?" Sour Sweet asked in a sing-song voice. "Nothing says big like scam artists tricking idiots!"

"It's just a show," Sunny reminded her bemusedly.

"It's still a trick."

"She's not wrong." Sugarcoat took a big bite of her burger with a low moan coming from her throat. "Just like these hamburgers. They're probably about ten percent meat."

"What's the rest of it?" Lemon raised her eyebrow.

"I have no idea, and I don't want to know." Sugarcoat swallowed. "Ignorance is bliss in magic and food."

Once they were delightfully full, the girls went sightseeing back to their hotel room to drop off their purchased goodies on their way towards the massive Las Pegasus theater. Evening was beginning to fall, but the crowds weren't getting any thinner as they approached along the sidewalk up to the doors. Thankfully, since Indigo had the foresight to get their tickets online earlier in the day with her phone, they didn't have to wait in the ridiculously long line that wound halfway around the building.

Sour Sweet smirked as they passed the crowd. "You'd think people would know how to use technology by now."

"There's a lot of things you'd think people would know that they don't." Sugarcoat shrugged. "Maybe they just enjoy waiting in lines. Like going to stores at midnight instead of ordering online. Maybe it's an 'experience'."

"Or maybe they're just really old and don't know how phones work." Indigo snickered as the six of them made their way into the main lobby, here a wide concession stand was serving its usual fare of sweets at very unusual jaw-dropping prices.

"Twelve dollars for a popcorn. I would rather eat my own kidneys," Sugarcoat noted.

Twilight agreed. "I'm glad we filled up before we came."

Sour Sweet slipped subtly closer to Lemon Zest while the others talked, leaning toward her. "Hey, uh... do you wanna come to the bathroom with me for a few minutes?"

"Huh?" Lemon glanced at her, then smiled. "Oh, uh, sure." She turned toward the others. "Hey, we're gonna go use the girls' room. We'll just be a minute."

"Sure, we'll find our seats and come out to get you," Sunny agreed offhandedly.

"Cool!" Lemon turned to Sour Sweet. "Come on, I think it's over here." The two girls made their way through the theater until they found the telltale sign hanging on the wall above one of the doors. They pushed their way in, where Lemon Zest gave her friend a worried look. "Is everything alr-" She didn't even get to finish before Sour Sweet's lips cut her off. Lemon blushed deeply until Sour Sweet pulled back, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Sorry, just felt like I needed to get that out of my system." Sour Sweet cackled.

"Heh, no big deal." Lemon smiled. "It was nice."

"Yeah? Do you wanna... like..." Sour Sweet moved closer again, running a finger up Lemon's chest.

"Here? Now?" Lemon Zest blushed. "We're in the bathroom."

"The cleanest bathroom in the world." Sour Sweet corrected her. Indeed, Lemon glanced around and didn't see a single speck of dirt or mold anywhere in the pearly white tiles. Presentation really was everything in magic.

"Nnngh..." Lemon grunted, putting her hands on Sour Sweet's shoulders. "Yes, I kind of want to... but I feel like we need to talk first."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Sour Sweet... you know I have a girlfriend, right?" Lemon Zest asked helplessly.

"Um, yeah, that was kind of what caused this whole thing in the first place."

"Right... so... I mean, you and I... as a couple..."

Sour Sweet raised her hands to stop her. "Wait, who said anything about being a couple?"

"Uh..." Lemon blushed. "Well, no one I guess, but you're..."

"I'm not trying to steal you from your girlfriend. Frankly I'd rather eat the rotten asshole of a road killed skunk and then down it with beer."

Lemon Zest blinked. "You don't have to be that against the idea..."

"Guh..." Sour Sweet shook her head. "Sorry, yeah, being with you doesn't sound bad, I'm just not gonna do that to you, you know? If you weren't involved I'd totally go for you."

Lemon Zest smiled slightly. "Yeah, I'd go for you too... but then what are we doing in here?"

"The same thing we were doing last night?" Sour Sweet danced her fingers across the tip of her chest. "Relaxing, bonding, having fun."

"That does sound nice..." The fingers on her chest were starting to make Lemon shiver. "But what does this... m-make us?"

"I dunno... I mean, do we have to label it?" Sour Sweet smiled and stared into her eyes. "You can add on whatever you want, we're still gonna be friends, right?"

"Heh..." Lemon's smile broke into a wide grin. "Yeah, totally."

"Now commere..." Sour Sweet grabbed her friend's shoulder and pulled her into a powerful, dominating kiss. Lemon's arms flung around her, her self-restraint melting away as she pulled Sour Sweet up against her as the furiously sloppy kiss resulted in a furious sloppy makeout. She felt herself being pushed up against the bathroom counter, Sour's arms gripping her shoulders and clutching at them tightly, refusing to let go.

They both froze when they heard the bathroom door open with a slight squeak, and Sugarcoat stared into the bathroom with a blank expression on her face. Her eyes bore into the two girls until they slipped away from the counter, straightening their clothes.

"You know, most girls who sneak off for sex at least make it the extra ten feet to the stall." Sugarcoat pointed toward one of the open stalls.

"It wasn't sex, it's not what you think!" Lemon Zest blushed deeply.

"Yeah, it wasn't that, it was..." Sour Sweet trailed off at the sight of Sugarcoat's glare.

"Please don't insult my intelligence," Sugarcoat insisted.

"Sorry..." Sour Sweet and Lemon echoed in unison.

"Why are you even hiding this, anyway?" Sugarcoat stepped into the bathroom, letting the door swing closed behind her. "Nobody's going to care that you're hooking up. We're your friends, we're not going to ostracize you for having fun together."

"I don't know, it just feels... naughty." Lemon blushed. "I'm totally cheating right now, and we're not going to become a couple or anything, it's just... sex. Friend sex. That's wrong, right?"

"I can't speak for the rest of the world, but from my point of view, it's as wrong as you two and Vinyl make it." Sugarcoat shook her head. "Vinyl's the girl who told you to go make a dating service video, as long as you tell her what's going on ASAP I doubt she's going to fly into full drama mode. As for you two, having sex with good friends is as wrong as you think it is. You can't get pregnant, and you know each other is clean. What's the worst that can happen? I've had sexual experiences before without dating and it didn't end badly."

"What!?" Lemon and Sour Sweet both exclaimed in unison.

"How have we not heard this story!?" Lemon demanded.

Sour Sweet nodded in agreement. "You've been holding out on us! Spill it! Spill it now!"

Sugarcoat laughed and held up her hands. "Hey, if you wanna know, I don't mind telling. I did it once, way back when I was twelve. With hormones just flooding through my adolescent body and my nethers aching for attention on a constant basis. We didn't go all the way, mechanically, but it was definitely sexy..."

Sugarcoat approached a boy who was on a swing, his bleached blond hair waving through the air as he went up and down and up and down. His eyes locked onto hers as she approached, and he brought himself to a slow stop.

"Hey, Sugarcoat!" He greeted her with a bright smile. "Do you want to swing with me?"

Sugarcoat just smiled cutely and said, "I want to take your pants off."

"And so I did." Sugarcoat sighed wistfully. "It was fun and educational."

Sour Sweet snickered and folded her arms over her chest. "I wouldn't believe that from anyone else, Sugarcoat."

"Thank you. Now, I understand the whirlwind nature of sex and attraction and all, but everyone else is actually just sitting out there waiting for you. So can this wait until tonight?"

"Yeah, you're right, sorry." Lemon Zest cleared her throat. "We should go."

Sour Sweet grinned. "Oh of course! We can just drop everything and go!" She grumped suddenly, "Didn't even make it to second base..."

"The bases can wait, now if you'll excuse me, unlike you two, I actually need to do what this room was designed for." Sugarcoat rushed past the two girls to one of the empty stalls and slipped inside, almost slamming the door behind her.

"Heh, come on." Lemon took her friend's hand. "We have one more night before we make the drive home tomorrow. I think we can wait until then."

"I'm not so sure but I'll do my best." Sour Sweet squeezed her hand as the two of them left the bathroom to rejoin their friends.

The magic show was actually one of the most spectacular things any of the girls had seen. Twilight in particular was thrilled to see it in action. Her analytical mind was examining every motion that was performed, but even her high speed processer couldn't keep up with it all, and some of the more extravagant tricks left even her reeling. All in all it was a great show that left the girls in high spirits as they left the theater out into the final rays of sunlight that met them on the street.

"Wow, I feel like my mind has been completely blown!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "I mean of course my rational mind knows that none of that was real, it's all sleight of hand and carefully planned trickery, but the atmosphere, the showmanship, it was like it made me believe in the impossible!"

Sugarcoat smirked. "That's called 'having fun', I think."

"I like it!" Twilight squealed.

"Well, we do still have a little time before we should turn in for our return trip tomorrow." Sunny Flare turned back to the others. "What do you girls say to seeing what this place looks like at night?"

Indigo Zap grinned and exchanged a silent glance with the others before responding. "You actually thought you had to ask?"

Las Pegasus was a bustling place during the day, but somehow it was even more busy at night, and it was easy to see why now that they weren't rolling into town after several hours of driving. The flashing neon signs were almost mesmerizing in their brilliance and extravagance, and even stopping into a small diner for some late-night ice-cream dessert yielded a strangely elaborate song and dance show on the diner's small stage. It seemed like everything about this city was geared towards entertainment, which made sense, but was so utterly different from their home town of Canterlot.

"Hey, a dance club!" Indigo Zap gasped on their way down the sidewalk with bowls of ice-cream in hand. She had a delighted grin on her face, and she was staring up at a giant blinking neon sign depicting a woman doing what were either the most flexible poses imaginable with alien body parts or some kind of pole dancing. "I could go for a dance right now!"

"Are we sure this isn't a strip club?" Sugarcoat asked. "You already made that mistake once in Grand Theft Auto."

"It looks kind of stripper-ish to me too," Sunny agreed. "It's getting pretty late anyway, we should probably start heading back."

"We can't come all the way out to Las Pegasus and not dance!" Indigo complained. "It's like blasphemy!"

"Sure we can. Like this." Sugarcoat turned to stride swiftly down the sidewalk away from the club.

"Augh! I hate you, Sugarcoat." Indigo growled and turned to march after her.

"Relax, Indigo." Sunny reassured her as the group turned to sweep their way along in Sugarcoat's wake. "It's not like your ride is going to spontaneously combust on the way home. We can come back some time and get some dancing in."

Sugarcoat smirked over her shoulder. "Of course, now that you said that, it's almost guaranteed to fall apart the second we get home."

Indigo recoiled in horror. "Don't even say that!"

"Awwww don't worry, you did an amazing job putting it together." Sour Sweet patted her comfortingly on the shoulder. "It'll be at least two weeks before it falls apart."

"Why did I invite you all?" Indigo growled.

"Because we're besties!" Lemon Zest threw her arms around Indigo from the other side. "We tease because we love."

Sugarcoat quipped from the front again. "Besides, we helped you build that car. You owe us."

"Do you know much I spent in sandwich supplies during that whole thing? I don't owe you anything." Indigo wasn't frowning as she spoke, however.

The six friends finished up their sightseeing expedition shortly, and made their way up to their suite in the Lost Pegasus hotel and casino. Exhausted and satisfied, each pair of girls decided to retire to their room. Sunny Flare and Twilight Sparkle to theirs, Indigo Zap and Sugarcoat to theirs, and then Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest to theirs.

"Goodnight, all." Sunny gave her other friends a bright smile as she opened the door for Twilight to head through. "I'm glad we all ended up having a good time this weekend."

"Some of us more than others." Sugarcoat cast a wry smirk at the third door, where Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest were crowded together into the doorframe. "After all, we didn't all end up getting laid."

Sour Sweet giggled girlishly. "Awwww, I'm sorry you're jealous, Sugarcoat! Maybe someday someone will deal with an asshole like you too!" She zipped into the bedroom, yanked Lemon Zest behind her by her shirt collar with a light squeak, and slammed the door behind them.

Sunny blinked and looked at Sugarcoat. "Laid?"

"I think the word is self-explanatory." Sugarcoat smirked and turned to head inside her bedroom. "Goodnight."

"Whoa..." Indigo chuckled. "No wonder she was in such a good mood this morning." She followed Sugarcoat into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"Should... should we be concerned?" Twilight asked.

"Hmmm..." Sunny stroked her chin, then waved it off. "Nah, I don't think so. As I said, we're allowed to be a little young, wild, and stupid, as long as we're smart about it." Sunny winked and nudged Twilight's shoulder with a smile. "Come on, let's get some sleep. We have a long car ride tomorrow." the two turned to head inside and close the door behind them.

The following morning brought an end to their vacation, but nobody was really sad about it. As Indigo Zap packed the suitcases into the trunk of her car, the others sat with breakfast sandwiches in the lobby and spoke lightly of their weekend. Sour Sweet was back to her old self, before the random explosions had begun, and Lemon Zest seemed truly happy, if somewhat pensive. They were all a bit more relaxed, actually, Sunny Flare noted as she leaned back against the comfy bench with her egg sandwich in hand. She hadn't realized how much they needed this.

But then, Crystal Prep Academy had a way of laying on the stress, especially when the principal had it out for you.

"Alright, I think we're all packed up. We can go any time." Indigo marched up to the others with a broad grin on her lips. She took the egg sandwich Sunny held out to her with a nod. "Thanks."

"We should plan to come back some time," Sugarcoat mused around her hot cocoa. "This could be good for our mental health as a regular thing."

"Totally!" Lemon Zest agreed. "I think this even beat the spa!"

"It should. It sure cost a whole lot more." Indigo took a big bite of her sandwich with a satisfied sigh. "Does anybody else kind of not want to go back to school?"

Everybody except Twilight raised their hands, then chuckled.

"Well, we're not going to get out of going back to school by dallying around here any longer." Sunny shoved the rest of her sandwich into her mouth and stood up. "Let's get this show on the road. I may not want to see school, but I would definitely like to see home."

"Now that I can agree with." Sugarcoat stood with her.

In a line the girls made their way back out to Indigo's convertible, where they all took the same seats they had occupied on the way into town. Indigo cranked up the car, but Sugarcoat raised her hand suddenly. "Wait one second!" She leaned over Indigo to peer at the dashboard, then leaned back with a nod. "Okay, we have gas. You may proceed."

Indigo smirked. "You really are a jerk, you know that?" She pulled out of the parking lot, turning to make her way towards the interstate.

"Yes. Yes I am. Yet you all hang out with me anyway." Sugarcoat smirked back.

"Heh..." Sour Sweet slipped her hand between the seats from the back, finding Lemon's fingers and giving them a squeeze. "Guess it's more about finding people who accept you than being perfect."

Lemon squeezed back with a grin over her shoulder. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

Lemon Zest had been dreading this the entire ride back home, and though she hadn't had a chance to go home and rest, she wanted to get this out of the way as quickly as possible. Indigo Zap gave her a worried look after they came to a stop in front of Vinyl Scratch's house, the two of them the only ones left in the car after dropping the others off at home.

"You sure you wanna do this now?" Indigo asked. "I'm sure she'd understand taking a night to settle in."

"I'm sure... I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway." Lemon Zest flashed her friend a half-felt smile and climbed out of the convertible, landing on her feet. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"You sure you don't want me to stick around just in case?" Indigo asked.

"No thanks, you go get some sleep. I can take the bus back."

"Alright... good luck." Indigo gave her friend an encouraging smile before pulling away from the curb, leaving Lemon alone to approach the door at the end of the driveway.

She wanted to hesitate, but she didn't let herself take time to think before rapping on the door. Her stomach felt like it was doing flips as she sat back to wait. This could be it. If Vinyl Scratch left her for cheating... well, she would deserve it. At least she would have Sour Sweet there, but... even the idea of hooking up with her made her feel bad. Not because it didn't sound awesome, but she didn't want it to start that way. Just because Lemon was left without a choice, thrown out by the girl she loved for being unfaithful...

It felt like hours later when the door opened, and Vinyl gave her a wise, surprised grin. "Hey! You're back in town!" She swept out of the door and pulled Lemon into a tight hug. "What, did you just get in or something? Why didn't you go home? You could've texted me."

"I... needed to talk to you." Lemon forced a smile. "It's kind of important."

When she saw the look on Lemon's face, Vinyl took her hand and pulled her inside, closing the door behind her. "Yeah, of course. What's up? Did something happen while you were in Las Pegasus?"

"Yes... yes it did." Lemon gripped one arm to stop herself from shaking. She had to chill out and say it, and whatever consequences would come, she would accept them. She would deserve them. "I had sex with someone else... twice... and I don't know if it's going to happen again... it might..."

Lemon was sickened by the silence that fell over the living room as Vinyl's eyes widened in surprise behind her shades. She felt like she wanted to die, she had betrayed her girl friend, the person who placed absolute trust in her. She tried to steel herself for the inevitable screaming, and being kicked out of the house.

But Vinyl's lips curled into a surprising smile as she spoke.

"Niiiiiiiiice."

"I... muh... wh... wha?" Lemon's eyes almost bugged out of her head. "What?"

"How was it? Was it good or was it one of those 'ugh, I got it out of the way!' first times you hear about?"

"It... it was good..." Lemon shook her head. "You're seriously not mad?"

"I'd be mad if you did it behind my back. But I always thought you wouldn't lie to me, and it looks like I was right." When Lemon didn't respond, Vinyl slung a casual arm around her shoulders. "Look, we're still young. Got some oats to sow, y'know? But when it comes time to get super serious and tie the knot... I know we can make that work."

Lemon squealed. "Do you... think we'll tie the knot someday?"

Vinyl waved off the question with her free hand. "I don't like to look that far ahead. Does nothing but get you all worked up about it. But I sure haven't ruled it out."

"Oh..." Lemon thought for a moment. "Have you slept with someone?"

"If I did, you'd know about it." Vinyl winked.

"Oh..." Lemon felt so blindsided that she couldn't even make herself relax or feel relieved by all of this. "Are you sure you're not mad at me?"

Vinyl laughed and slapped her shoulder. "Come on, stop trying to force the drama. Why don't you go hop your cute butt in the shower and stay the night here? It's a bit late to be bussing it back home."

"O-okay..." At last Lemon felt her shoulders beginning to loosen and a genuine smile spread across her lips. "And if you... if you wanna try it..."

"Nah. We'll get there eventually. What we've got here between you and me? It's worth more than just jumping into bed." Vinyl winked. "We'll do it when the time is right."

"Okay, that sounds amazing." Lemon broke into a full grin. "But we can still make out, right?"

"Anytime, anywhere." Vinyl clicked her tongue suggestively.

"Heh, alright, cool. I'll be back in a few minutes." Lemon turned to make her way to the bathroom, her weak knees almost failing her the instant she got the door closed. She could barely believe that her girlfriend was so awesome. Any thought she had of getting together with Sour Sweet was swept away by the shower spray. Vinyl Scratch was the ultimate girlfriend... and maybe someday wife. The thought made her giddy... but for now, as Vinyl had said, they had some time to kill and fun to have.

They were only gonna be young once.

( **To be continue on Part II** )


End file.
